Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings
by BigCC
Summary: Ten Rings of Ancient Power. Nine lost, one inherited, and one young man on a quest to find them. When Naruto learns the ancient truth of his mother's legacy after stealing the forbidden scroll, where will his journey take him? Will he make his ancestor's legacy shine once more or will he overshadow it as well. Based on EroSlackerMicha's Lord of the Ten Rings NarutoXHakuXHarem
1. The Hunt Begins

_Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings_

Hello and welcome everyone, this a new project of mine that I've been hoping to work on for some time. It is based off of one of my favorite stories by EroSlackerMicha called Naruto the Lord of the Ten Rings and a number of the first chapters are originally his with a number of alterations based on my own devious mind. The origional fic is now on hiatus since Micha has decided to rewrite it, but he has graciously allowed me to take a crack at it, so here I go. Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings starts now.

Oh and like in his original story the graduation age is 16. My own reasoning for this is that it never made sense sending prepubescent teens out to fight; logically they would at least wait until they are at the peak of their physical growth which is at fifteen or sixteen, not when they are still developing at twelve.

Oh and for clarities sake since money is mentioned a bit in this chapter 1 ryō = $0.01 dollars American

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"Normal Speech"

'_Normal Thought'_

"**Demon/Large Summon Speech"**

'_**Demon/Large Summon Thought' **_

**Jutsu**, _Kung Fu Technique, __Ring Power_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or even the original idea for this story. All I own is any of my original ideas. **

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**Chapter 1: The Hunt Begins**

_(Uzumaki Naruto's Apartment, Late at Night)_

Naruto Uzumaki, jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Yōko, had tears running down his whisker-marked cheeks as he reread a letter he'd found within the Hokage's Safe, hidden with the Forbidden Scroll of Seals, for what felt like the hundreth time in the past hour. The envelope had had his name on it, so the now 16 year old blonde had decided to take it along with the scroll, stuffing it into his back pocket to read after he'd passed his test and forgetting about it after Mizuki arrived and the whole, 'You are the Nine Tailed Fox' bullshit had started. Now, after plopping down on his bed in hopes of getting some sleep after kicking Mizuki's ass and being made a Genin, Naruto had rediscovered the letter and read its contents, which were eye-opening to say the least.

_**Naruto,**_

_**My son, my darling little maelstrom. How I long to look at you and hold you in my arms once more, but alas I am dying. Tsunade, your godmother, told me I wouldn't survive my pregnancy, and I've but a few hours left after seeing and holding you for the first and possibly last time. I don't regret bringing you into this world my little maelstrom. You are my legacy, my love, and perhaps the greatest, most beautiful thing I have ever done with my life.**_

_**I suppose introductions should come first before I get all sappy and emotional again. My name is Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze and I am, or should I say was since you are reading this after my passing, your mother.**_

_**A bit about me as I doubt that old fart Sarutobi has told you anything other than the necessities before giving you this letter. I've got red hair and amethyst purple eyes. I'll gladly and proudly admit that I'm a bit of a tomboy and originally came from Whirlpool. I am a master of Water and Wind elemental techniques, a Seal Mistress of the highest order, and have learned all the styles of Uzumaki Wushu**_ (Chinese Martial Arts, more commonly known as Kung Fu)_**, our people's hereditary fighting arts that combines both Taijutsu and Bukijutsu **_(Weapon Techniques)_**, but I will get back to all of that later. **_

_**You have a destiny before you my little maelstrom. More important than what your father has thought of and is planning to use you for, greater than any foolish prophecy your toad of a godfather could ever imagine. As I write this the Kyūbi no Yōko is on the horizon; some damned fool has disturbed one of the nine elemental guardians, the ancient and powerful spawn of the Rikudō Sennin himself, and it is coming here to destroy Konoha. Your father…Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Yellow Flash and the Yondaime Hokage is planning on using you as a Jinchūriki, the power of Human Sacrifice, to contain that which cannot be killed; hoping that Konoha will see you as a hero for it. Know this, YOU ARE NOT THE KYUBI! Get that thought out of your head right now and never think of it again. You are its jailor, its warden, and, in time, perhaps its partner or master, and those that can't see the difference aren't worth your loyalty and love. FUCK THEM AND THE KUNAI THEY HAVE UP THEIR ASSES! You are an Uzumaki and we allow no one to control our destinies.**_

_**(Sigh) I wish I could be there for you my little maelstrom. Your life is going to be hard, more so than I dread dream about. I don't have your father's faith in the people of Konoha, nor do I fully understand where it comes from. The people of Konoha are just that, people. Creatures that by their nature fear what they can never understand and control. I've never shared your father's deep-seated faith in humanity; I've lost too much to greedy and fearful fools to ever truly trust people as a whole. Know I love you with all my heart and soul. Be strong, you are an Uzumaki and bear our legacy proudly.**_

_**That means more than you realize and the people of Konoha will know until it's far too late. You come from royalty my sweet little boy. Before it was destroyed, my family ruled the land of Uzu no Kuni **_(Whirlpool Country)_** and the village of Uzushiogakure **_(Village Hidden by the Swirling Tides). _**As the sole survivor of our village, which was destroyed at the beginning of the last war, and our nation's royal family I looked for years during the war for others who share our blood, but have found none. **_

_**But that is not the royalty of which I speak, no our true legacy is far, far greater. Ages ago, less than a hundred years after the time of the Rikudō Sennin, our ancestor rose to power. He was a great warrior, a master of the earliest forms of the shinobi arts and chakra manipulation. It is said he was a descendent of the Sage of Six Paths himself, but no one is quite sure. He called himself the Mandarin, and his true name has long been lost even to us, his own descendants. He possessed amazing power, but used it wisely, ruling all he conquered with a strict but fair hand. His greatest weapons were a set of ten rings, each imparted with a fundamental element of the world itself, crafted using secrets said to come from both the Rikudō Sennin and beyond the stars. **_

_**Using his power he united the entire continent under his banner. But jealous, greedy, and fearful fools sought to expunge him and take the newly founded empire for themselves. Using trickery and deceit they assassinated him and sought to claim his rings for themselves. But the Mandarin was wise. His rings were designed to only respond to his blood, and in a final act of defiance to his betrayers, he scattered the Ten Rings to the four corners of his empire. His children, our ancestors, fled, knowing that it would take time to rebuild their father's legacy. They settled on what would become Whirlpool, a small island nation hidden in shrouding mists and protected by dangerous currents.**_

_**For generations our family has searched for the Ten Rings of the Mandarin. We began to study Fūinjutsu early in our exile in hopes of finding a seal to help us locate the rings. It was through sheer blind luck that we managed to find one. Sealed in the bottom of this scroll through a blood seal is the Kōriwa**_ (Ring of Ice)_**, which is worn on the pinky finger of the left hand.**_ _**It holds great power over ice and cold. With it you can summon ice from nothing, using it as either a weapon or as a shield, emit burst of freezing cold to weaken or stun enemies, or drop the temperature around you to suit your will. You will also never feel the icy grip of cold again and will be immune to most cold-based effects, like hypothermia and frost bite. According to legend the rings also share certain powers, powers that are supposed to be unlocked as more rings are gathered. The Kōriwa was given to me by my father when I was named our clan's heiress, and now I pass it on to you. To open the seal, bite your thumb and smear a bit of blood on the seal. With the ring you will find my personal scrolls and my diary. If I can't be there for you, I hope that my thoughts growing up will give you a connection to me in some way. The scrolls contain instructions for the martial arts style our family uses as well as several other scrolls containing our family's ninjutsu and fūinjutsu techniques. Use them well and grow strong my little maelstrom and let nothing hold you back. Grab hold of what you want and live your life not for a village that doesn't deserve your respect or love, for people who could care less if you lived or died, but live for yourself and find a place you can truly call home, a place you truly wish to protect. **_

_**(There's another letter in my diary for you, it will explain how to get into our family home in Konoha, which scrolls to read and what jutsu to learn first. FOLLOW IT! If you're like me in any way I know you will be impatient to learn. But it will make sense in time, trust me.)**_

Naruto smiled as he traced that passage again, "I am like you mom." whispered the blonde with a small smile, even as tears slipped from his eyes again. He returned to reading his mother's final words, finding both solace and pain in this connection to his parents after so many years wondering who they were.

_**I ask for only one thing my son, continue our search. Find the other nine and use them to bring our family back to glory, this is your mother's last request. **_

_**Well, that and find a cute girl or two and give me plenty of grandbabies **_**_:)_ **

_**Anyway, after generations of effort and research our clan succeeded in creating a way of locating the other nine rings mere months before our homeland's destruction, constructing a talisman forged with seals and tempered with both our blood and the power of the Kōriwa. With it you can use the link that binds the power of the rings to us and the Kōriwa itself to locate the others. I have yet to use it myself because I was bound to Konoha during the war and my pregnancy with you soon after. I have given it to your godmother Tsunade for safe-keeping. I pray she stayed with you, or at least took you with her, but I know her well enough to know that she probably fled Konoha soon after my death. Tsunade has been hurt by the loss of all she loves and Konoha is too full of painful memories for her. Don't hate her my son. She is both kin and a good woman, she's just been broken by too much grief, something I know far too well. Find Tsunade and you will find the pendent and with it you will find the rings. I have faith that she will help you. However I cannot speak the same for your toad of a godfather Jiraiya, why Minato insisted on naming that man your godfather I'll never know. If he actually raised you then I'll apologize when we next meet, but I doubt it. The man was a fool and a wastrel, more concerned with his own lusts than his responsibilities to all but the village.**_

_**Now there's more, our clan holds one last power: a kekkai genkai of ancient and prominent strength. It is called the Ryūjinchi **_(Blood of the Dragon King), _**and it greatly enhances our clan's natural life-force. At its most basic elements, this accelerates our healing process, greatly increases our stamina and chakra reserves, and allows us to live longer than normal. While I'll admit they're not the flashiest abilities, they are damned useful and I'm sure they'll help you on whatever path you choose to walk. However, its greatest ability is that it alters our chakra on a fundamental nature. The exact nature of the change varies from person to person. Mine allowed me to suppress the chakra of others and with time allow me to manifest chains of pure chakra to bind both my opponents and their chakra. Your Grandfather's allowed him to sever anything that came into contact with it. Your Great Grandfather's allowed him to crush anything that he could connect with his chakra, while your Great Grandmother's allowed her to attrack or repel objects infused with her chakra at will. The individualistic nature of this change is what made our kekkai genkai so dangerous, making it impossible for opponents to predict what abilities we may possess. An Inuzuka fights with a ninken by their side, a Nara will try to use his shadow, and a Hyūga always fights close-up, but no one can ever predict what an Uzumaki will do. **_

_**Live a long, happy life my little maelstrom. Know that I am watching over you and love you with all my heart and soul, and, when your time comes, I will welcome you with a hug and hope and pray you will give me one in return. Don't forget to live and love…and remember: grandbabies! **_

_**Love,**_

_**Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze**_

"_**The Bloody Red Habanero"**_

"_**The Scarlet Tide"**_

"_**The Ruby Chain" **_

"_**The Crimson Ice Queen"**_

_**And most importantly…the title I cherish more than anything…"Mom."**_

_**PS: There is a seal marker in the diary that will help you control and limit the flow of the Kyūbi's chakra. If I know your father, (and I do) the baka probably left that out of his "great seal design" (Some times that man can be so infuriatingly full of himself) and the damnable beast is probably ruining your chakra control by overfilling your reserves. Tell Sarutobi to add that to the seal on your stomach. You should have received this letter around your seventh birthday, if the old monkey's word is worth anything, to help prepare you for the academy. Seven's a bit younger than when I started training, but sadly you don't have the extra help I had to learn so it could take you a while longer, but don't be discouraged, you will master it. I have faith in you my little one. Good luck and all my love.**_

_**PSS: If you haven't learned about the Kyūbi, tell that old perverted bastards and his pet toad to tell you the FUCKING TRUTH! He and Jiraiya should have done that long ago, if they did as they promised.**_

'_They didn't. And who the hell is Jiraiya?'_ thought Naruto angrily as he wiped his eyes before biting his thumb and swiping it across the seal along the bottom of the letter. In a puff of smoke nearly two dozen scrolls were now littered across his bed, and lying at the center was a ring and a small book. The book, his mother's journal obviously, was very thin, with a dark red leather cover with an orange spiral engraved in its center, with the name 'Kushina Uzumaki' on top. The ring was a simple looking thing, made of polished silver and engraved with symbols of ice and snow, with a pale blue, circular topaz at its center (**See Profile for image**). Floating in the gem's center, seemingly trapped within the gemstone itself, was the kanji for 'Ice' in pure white.

As soon as Naruto touched it he could feel something, almost like a pulse made entirely of cold wind, vibrating from the ring and into his flesh. In slow, hesitant motions he slipped the ring onto his finger. As soon as the silver touched his flesh he felt a jolt like static electricity but far more pleasurable, like a bit of himself he never knew was missing had finally been returned. Looking at scrolls, the symbols of his family, he thought, _'Maybe something has.'_

He looked at the hitai-ate Iruka had given on him last night after he kicked Mizuki's ass. Mere moments ago it was a symbol of his progress, but now it seemed to be a chain binding him further to the ground.

"I need to speak with the old man." stated the blonde finally, his hand absently brushing the ring now resting on his finger, his blue eyes half closed as he thought of what he wanted to say and what he would need to do. He slipped the scrolls and letter into the hidden pockets he'd sown into the back of his jacket and looked around the small, three rooms that made up his apartment, searching for anything worth taking with him, and finding almost nothing. Konoha had few bonds left with him, and none great enough to change his mind.

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_(Hokage's Office, a Short Time Later)_

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he read the interrogation report Ibiki had sent him after his session with Mizuki.

'_Last night did not go well.'_ he thought to himself. Mizuki had revealed to Naruto the existence of the Kyūbi sealed within him. The look of defeat in the boy's eyes when he left last night troubled the aged Hokage, it was a look the old Hokage had only seen a few time in all the years he'd known him. Only after a villager had done something truly foolish and unforgivable had such a look crossed the boy's face.

His intercom buzzed, breaking his meditation. Pressing a button he calmly answered with a "Yes?"

"Naruto Uzumaki wishes to speak with you." His secretary said.

"Send him in." stated the old Hokage as he looked at the door. It opened and the blond walked in slowly, his pace measured and calm. That was not a good sign to the old kage, Naruto had always been so vibrant, so full of life, to see him acting with such measured calm was not good. His mother had walked like that only when she held dire news or was completely enraged. It was the walk she carried herself with shortly before she gave Jiraiya the second worst beating of his life after peeping on her. Hiruzen took note of the boy's eyes and posture, but found both nearly unreadable given his previous experience with the boy. Naruto didn't shout a greeting, didn't even look at him as he closed the door firmly behind him before walking up to his desk and sitting down. Another bad sign.

"Naruto?" he asked carefully, worry etching its way across his features

"Who was Kushina?"

Of all the things the aged Hokage had expected after last night, hearing that name come from the blond was not one of them.

"How about Minato?" Naruto continued seeing the look of utter shock cross the old man's face.

"How about Jiraiya and Tsunade?" Naruto threw two more names at the Hokage.

"W-Where did you hear those names?" Hiruzen asked, finally shocked out of his stupor.

"You tell me first." growled the blonde. There was a coldness in his voice that the Hokage had never heard before. Something was very, very wrong.

"I…" he tried to start, to offer some excuse or lie before the blonde cut him off.

"You see, Hokage-_sama_," the blonde practically spat the honorific, "I found something else last night when I took the forbidden scroll." Naruto held up the empty envelope with his name on it. "A letter addressed to me from my mother."

Hiruzen winced.

"W-Where did you…."

"I found it with the scroll in the safe and, since it had my name on it, I decided to take it as well. Let me guess Hokage-_sama_, this is something you were never going to give to me, was it?" hissed the blonde icily.

"I was going to wait till you were older and…"

"It would have been far, _far_ too late _Hokage-sama_, just like it is far too late now. My mother wanted me to have this when I was _seven_." hissed Naruto and Hiruzen winced again at the venom now lacing the blonde's words. Since entering the office the blond had not once called him jiji or even had a shred of warmth in his eyes or voice.

"Naruto, I did what I thought was best for the village" he offered belatedly, "You must understand that…"

"FUCK THE THRICE DAMNED VILLAGE!" Naruto roared. "When has this fuck-hole done anything for me other than beat me down and disregarded my father's sacrifice and dying wish? That's what you told me earlier wasn't it? That his dying wish was for me to be seen as a hero?" Naruto suddenly snorted "Shows how much Konoha truly respects their '_greatest hero_.'" finished Naruto sarcastically.

Sarutobi winced at that. "Naruto you must understand, the people were hurt and scared and they…" he tried to explain, before Naruto cut him off again

Naruto was barely paying attention to him at the moment, instead his focus on the picture of the Yondaime on the wall. "I wonder what he would think of this village if he saw how they treat his son. I wonder would he sit back and make excuses for a village that treats a child like the lowest form of scum. I wonder if he would lie to the child and not tell him about his family. I wonder if he'd break his word to a boy's mother about telling him exactly who he is. I can see not telling others, but to lie to me, to deny me my heritage. To tell me you didn't know my family, when you once _claimed_ to be one of their dearest friends? To go against my mother's dying wish? Tell me did you even know what was in that letter?" accused the blonde, his eyes staring daggers into the aged Fire Shadow.

The Hokage's look answered his question.

"I thought not, my mother must have put a seal on it so it would only open for me. So you didn't even know what it said and you still denied me my heritage? That is the final straw old man." That title, formerly used as a sign of affection, now sounded like the bitterest of insults.

Naruto's hands slowly reached up to his forehead and pulled his hitai-ate off before dropping it on the desk. "I resign from being a shinobi of Konohagakure. I'm leaving this village once and for all." Naruto said finally.

"You can't. What about…" Hiruzen started.

"About what? I'm going to my father's house, getting the scrolls my mother's letter told me about, and I am going to find my godmother." stated the blonde decisively.

"Naruto, please." The Hokage said quickly. "Reconsider this course of action."

"Why?" questioned the blonde, his voice lifeless.

In that moment the Hokage saw the young man in a different light. He saw that the constant abuse from the village had taken its toll. The bright and smiling mask was gone, revealing someone who could care less for the village. The boy had kept it all inside and with this final blow the dam had been broken.

"I can't accept your resignation." the Hokage tried, desperately reaching for a reason to keep the blond here, where he belonged, where he needed to be.

"Why not? Article Code 117-6349, paragraph three, part B of the Konoha Charter: A Genin may retire from the shinobi program whenever they desire. It was originally placed to allow those who couldn't deal with the stress of shinobi work a way out." stated the blonde, reciting one of Iruka's lectures. A small cold smile appeared on his face as he continued. "I did fail the exam for the third time, granted it was again sabotaged with a genjutsu on the paper, and Mizuki went all out against me in the taijutsu match while Iruka was off separating the Uchiha's fan-girls…again." he finished derisively

Naruto looked at the Hokage, his eyes as cold as ice. "The villagers want me gone; the council wants me gone and/or dead. Why continue to fight it and stay in a place where I'll have to work myself to the bone just to be accepted? I'm leaving."

"Your father would want you to stay and be a ninja of Konoha." Sarutobi tried. "And surely Kushina would…"

"My mother's letter told me exactly what she wanted," interrupted the blonde icily, "and it was for me to be happy; something that will obviously never happen in this place if most of the village has any say. As for my father, if he was anywhere near the great man everyone seems to think he was he'd want his child to be happy, and if he didn't…well screw him and his precious village. How much do you pay for a loaf of bread?"

Hiruzen paused at the sudden turn. "I'm not sure what…"

"It's simple, _honored Hokage-sama_, how much do you pay for a loaf of bread?" disdain was literally dripping from the blondes voice.

"Two hundred ryō." The Hokage finally answered.

"I get charged a thousand for week old bread." Naruto responded, as if that one fact proved every point he was trying to make. In some ways it did.

The Hokage's heart was sinking. "You can't leave Naruto…please. I will make things better I promise." he tried desperately

The blond looked at him; it was a look empty of all emotions, of any bond they once shared. "Give me one reason Hokage-sama. One reason to trust a man who has spat on the dying wishes of both my parents. One reason to stay in a village that could care less if I dropped dead right now…they'd throw a party, piss on my grave if I even get one, and if I do, dig me up and toss me into the woods." Naruto shook his head and started to walk out of the office. "I'm leaving old fool, there's not a power in heaven or earth that will stop me. This village and nearly everyone in it can burn for all I care. My mother said I should seek my own happiness and that's what I plan to do." he finished as the doors closed behind him.

Hiruzen stared at the Hitai-ate now lying on his desk for several moments; his hopes for the future were walking out the door.

'_I've got to stop him.'_

He slapped the intercom. "Get me Kakashi and Iruka…NOW!"

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_**My little Naruto,**_

_**Since you're reading this, you've read my letter. This one is to tell you about your father's house and where to find his scrolls. You will need your blood to get to them as there are seals that are blood-based to keep everyone out of our house that isn't family or invited in. He and I worked together to craft them so they're strong enough to hold back the Bijū themselves.**_

_**The other letter with my diary is about the scrolls and such, read that one later when you are safe my son. This is more important. If you're doing what I think you are, if things have gone as I feared, you won't have much time. There is a spiral in the center of the main gate, apply your blood there and the gate will let you and anyone with you pass. Anyone else will run into one of your fathers lightning traps. That man loved his Raiton**_ (Lightning Release) _**ninjutsu,**** even named his signature technique after one of his favorites.**_

_**Once you get to the house, go to the second floor, and make your way to the library. (see map enclosed)**_

_**Once there, the safe is behind the picture of your father and his genin team. Again its blood sealed; this one you will need to cut your palm and apply chakra at the same time. Inside you'll find your father's personal scrolls and his journal (he refused to call it a diary as it wasn't "Manly." I love the man, really I do, but he is such a dim-witted goof when he's not a total genius.)**_

_**I know you don't want to hear that, so grab everything in the safe and anything else you want to keep with you. It'll probably be easier just to seal up the entire library. There should be a couple dozen storage scrolls in the left hand bottom drawer of the desk, use them to store anything you want to take with you. Once you sealed those, go to our room (follow the map my little maelstrom) and you will find the safe behind our wedding picture. Take that with you when you go. The seal is like the one in the **__**library **__**and once you open it you will find five hundred thousand ryō, a bag of small gems, bank statements and books for accounts outside of Konoha. As I said, your father has faith in the villagers, I am a realist and have thus taken several precautions should I, or you in this case, ever have to leave the village in a rush. **_

_**Seal those in a scroll, keep some ryō out, keep the gems until your funds start running low and then sell a few. They are high quality and each is worth a several tens of thousand ryō easily. Like I said, I planned ahead in case I needed to get you out of Konoha with the way the war with Iwa had been going. (Read my diary to learn more.)**_

_**Once that is done, add anything else you want to take with you, it is your home and with us gone everything in it is yours by right. Once you leave, the house will be locked down until you return, if you don't then Konoha's inherited a ghost house and land they will never touch again.**_

_**Once again, be safe, be happy, and find Tsunade. You'll find a picture in the diary and all I could remember of her gambling and drinking habits.**_

_**With all my love,**_

_**Your mother,**_

_**Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze**_

_**PS: Leave over the back wall, there is a hidden passage near the large oak just outside the walls; add blood to the spiral-shaped knot on the tree and you'll see what I mean. It will let you out in the woods a couple miles outside of Konoha without going through the gate.**_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

Naruto added the last of the storage scrolls to the travel pack he found in the closet. He'd found some shirts and pants that were only slightly too big, as well as a kick ass long coat with flames which he added. It may not be his size, but he could make alterations. Being unable to buy clothes at most shops that weren't violently eye-searing bright or cost more than he got in a month had taught him to be fairly good with a needle and thread.

When he found the room that would have been his, tears slipped from his eyes again as he saw that, even after all this time, the love his parents had put into the room for his baby self still shown through. He saw the crib and a rocker. His hand shook as he picked up a picture of his parents. His father wearing his Hokage robes and hat holding his very pregnant and grinning wife, her hand was touching her belly where he was waiting to be born.

He slipped the picture out of the frame and into an inner pocket of his jacket. He turned to leave, but stopped seeing a stuffed toad in the crib, along with a stuffed orange dragon.

Naruto, never having a stuffed animal growing up, looked at them for a moment before picking them up and slipping them into the pack.

His search of the downstairs revealed nothing but a few more books, but the basement seemed to have been built to double as a dojo. In it he found a number of weapons, mostly blunted training tools but a couple of real ones, and some scrolls on basic jutsu, as well as several Raiton scrolls. He added them to the storage scroll and sealed it.

"Goodbye." Naruto whispered to the house that had been empty for all these years when it should have been home to a happy family. Now the last of that family was leaving and would likely never return.

He left, activating the seals once more as he slipped over the back wall, none in Konoha saw him leave.

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**END CHAPTER 1**

**Yes it's mostly a reprint and modified version of the original but I really like the first chapter so I'm keeping it.**

**With placing two of my stories on hiatus until I have the inspiration to rewrite them and give them the full credit they deserve, I have decided to start this fic. It's been boiling in the back of my brain for a while and I have just recently gotten permission to go for it. I will not be starting any more new stories for the foreseeable future, instead focusing on this one, Blades, Bows and Souls, and A Seer's Fable.**

**Until next READ AND REVIEW**


	2. Hunter or Hunted

_Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings_

**Review Response**

_**To everyone else who read and reviewed thank you for your time and attention**_

"Normal Speech"

'_Normal Thought'_

"**Demon/Large Summon Speech"**

'_**Demon/Large Summon Thought' **_

**Jutsu**, _Kung Fu Technique,_ _Ring Power_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or even the original idea for this story. All I own is any of my original ideas. **

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**Chapter 2: Hunter or Hunted**

(Well _Past Midnight, Forest Miles from Konoha_)

Moonlight shone down across the vast forest that surrounded Konoha. Naruto Uzumaki looked up from his perch in a tree. He'd left Konoha behind hours ago, using the secret tunnel hidden behind his parent's property to bypass the gate. The passage had ended in a hollow tree trunk hidden a mile outside of Konoha. He'd emerged mere moments ago and was now taking in his surroundings. It was kind of ironic, escaping the Leaf Village through a tree; he'd probably inherited his mother's sense of humor.

He let out a sigh before he started moving again. He knew that the old man wouldn't let him go so easily and he wanted to get as much distance as possible before his pursuers started looking outside the village.

'_Keeps me there with lies and half-truths, thinking to make me a loyal fool for the village to abuse.'_ Naruto thought bitterly. "No more." he spat aloud. He hadn't gotten to ask the Hokage about the seal, and he probably wouldn't have trusted the old fool with it even if he'd remembered it.

"I'll find someone to do it. After all Konoha isn't the only ninja village in the world and now it's wide open for me." The blond muttered with a small grin on his face. He clutched his mother's diary in his hand; the ring on his left pinky glowed and pulsed slightly, seemingly as eager as the blonde to finally be free again.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_(Earlier, Konoha)_

Hiruzen Sarutobi wondered how things could go so wrong so quickly. Iruka and Kakashi had reported to him and he'd explained some of what happened, leaving out Naruto's parentage.

"He's given up. Learning about the Kyūbi must have been one blow too many for the boy to accept." explained the aged Hokage sadly, Naruto's hitai-ate resting on the desk in front of him. "And what's worse is he's planning on leaving Konoha. We can't let him go. He knows nothing of the world beyond our walls. He needs to be here, where he is safe."

Iruka agreed to look for him and quickly left. Hiruzen, however, held Kakashi back for a moment. "Check around the Namikaze estate. I think Naruto's been spotted around there." instructed the aged kage.

Kakashi looked at the Hokage strangely, raising his one visible eyebrow. "Why would he go there? The barrier and seals surrounding it are lethal and haven't let anyone pass since sensei's death." The one-eyed Jounin asked.

"Be that as it may, start your search there." the Hokage responded quickly, he didn't need anyone else finding out the secret behind Naruto's heritage, just giving Kakashi that information was risking much but it was necessary for finding the boy quickly. As of now he wasn't sure how he was going to get Naruto to keep it a secret when he was returned. He may be forced to take drastic measures to ensure the boy's cooperation, but it would all be for the best in the end. In time the village would accept him and he would learn to love the village as his father had and all would be well. It had to be.

Kakashi nodded and left.

Hiruzen looked at the orb and sighed. It had failed to show him Naruto since shortly after the boy had left his office, which meant he was either in a place with powerful barriers or was outside the village's walls already.

"Where are you my boy?" he asked the wind desperately, staring out from his office's window. The wind gave no answers or comfort to the old man.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

(_Predawn Hours of Morning, Forest Miles from Konoha_)

Naruto awoke with a snort and looked around. Something had woken him; he knew that as he saw the moon still and the sky and the sun hadn't even begun to rise.

He looked around, searching for what awakened him, and then he heard it, the soft jingling of the bells connected to alarm strings he'd had his clones set around the perimeter before he'd stopped to rest. Someone was coming, and they were coming fast. Naruto quickly shook his head to clear the mist and began leaping higher and moving away. Closing his eyes and concentrating he could hear movement coming closer and closer. He could also smell dogs, his nose naturally sharper than normal and well accustomed to the scent from hanging around Kiba for so long.

'_Damn it.'_ Naruto thought. '_The old man's already aware I'm not in Konoha anymore. Bet he used that damn orb. Well then Sandaime Hokage-sama, if you thought my time in Konoha avoiding the Anbu after my pranks was something, let's see what I can do with wide open spaces and no walls to trap me with. It's time to put my prankster skills to some more effective use.'_ He was already plotting traps as he passed by a wasp nest. "Yeah, this will help nicely with the dogs." he whispered to himself, a malevolent smirk forming on his features. Time to show Konoha why you don't mess with a prank-master.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

"Pakkun, are you certain the trail leads out here?" Kakashi asked his faithful ninken companion.

"I'm telling you, the scent we picked up outside the Yondaime's compound disappeared and then sprung up again about a couple miles outside the village. Now it's moving even farther away from Konoha." responded the nin-pug in his gravelly voice.

Kakashi shook his head wondering how Naruto entered the Namikaze estate and left outside the wall. '_The Hokage isn't telling me something, but Sensei didn't have children…he wasn't even married. He would have told me…if he even knew.'_ Kakashi thought as he followed his ninken further from Konoha, suddenly remembering his sensei mentioning dating someone during the war. If where his line of thinking was leading him was correct, then the Hokage owed him a shit load of answers.

"Hold up." Pakkun said as he sniffed a branch they landed on. "He was here for some time, a couple hours maybe. Probably resting…something spooked him. He bolted out of here no more than ten, maybe fifteen, minutes ago."

Kakashi knelt and ran a hand over the branch feeling the warmth still lingering on the wood. Noting a small glimmer of metal he picked up a small bell. "He must have set up alarms to warn him if anyone was approaching. Which way?" questioned the one-eyed nin.

Pakkun leapt to another tree and sniffed and then to another. He landed on a third when something snapped, before an object slammed into the branch. Kakashi's eye widened as he realized it was a wasp nest and Pakkun was being swarmed by the angry insects that soon began to sting him rapidly, the ninken yelping in pain all the while.

Kakashi quickly dispelled his summons and the dog vanished in a puff of smoke, further irritating the wasps. Kakashi leapt down to avoid the pissed off bugs, now was not the time to flare his chakra and alert his prey with a Katon technique. He summoned another dog to try and pick up the scent, but with the wasps up and about, they couldn't get close enough to pick up the origional trail.

"We'll have to circle at a distance and try and find the trail." Kakashi said to the ninken, this one a small beagle-like dog with tan fur, a white snout, long ears that had darker brown color and whisker marks.

The dog nodded before leaping to another branch, but Kakashi knew that the trail was getting cold fast. He didn't know which way Naruto had gone, or even if he'd gone higher or lower in the thick branches. Now, he was worried that Naruto was getting further away with each moment wasted, and the blond probably had more tricks up his sleeve.

If only he knew how right he was.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

Naruto created a dozen clones and quickly began rubbing his feet with theirs to give them an actual scent.

He looked back the way he'd came and the various wire traps he'd set up with some of his clones, all hidden and designed to either confuse, delay, or disable his pursuers. He advised several of the Kage Bunshin to plant explosive tags and other traps along their paths to throw off whoever was tracking him; after all if one route was trapped more than the others it would probably give away his route. A thought suddenly sprang to his mind as he created two more Kage Bunshin. "You two, follow him," he pointed to the clone heading northwest, the opposite way he was going, "and set down some extra traps, hopefully that'll make them think I'm going that way."

The clones all nodded in unison, before leaping off in their assigned directions.

Leaping higher, Naruto put on the speed, stopping every hour or so to create more clones to scatter and leave false trails and to set up more traps, altering the direction and number of traps with each group to prevent forming a pattern, and occasionally altering his own path to keep himself from going in one general direction for too long. The whole time he kept moving, the destination in his mind was a perfect place to get lost in. He'd seen it on the large map in the Hokage's office.

'_Now I need to get to Wave.'_ he thought to himself as he tried to remember all the villages up and down the coast from the map. '_I really need a map and time to plan. Hopefully I can find a quiet place along the coast to start planning my next move.'_ thought the blonde as he leapt to another branch. To him this was just like evading the Chūnin, Jounin, and Anbu after a prank, only on a much bigger playing field. He'd trained himself better than anything the academy ever taught him and no one even noticed. The only teacher who ever cared was Iruka and that was the only reason the scar-nosed Chūnin had ever caught him.

'_I'll make you proud of me mom. They threw me away; well guess what happens when you throw away a real diamond in the rough.'_ the blonde smirked as he vowed to read his mother's diary once he found a secure enough place to hide out for a while.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Late in the Morning, Konoha)_

Iruka sighed as he entered the Hokage's office. "I am sorry Lord Hokage, but I wasn't able to find Naruto anywhere in Konoha." stated the instructor sadly as he stood in front of the desk at rigid attention.

"Kakashi hasn't reported back yet, I believe he might be on the trail." The Hokage said taking a puff off his pipe, he hadn't slept all night and needed the relaxing effects of his personal bland of tobacco just to stay calm right now.

"I checked with the gate guards, they haven't seen him, or so they claim at least." reported Iruka with a hint of disgust.

"What do you mean?" the Hokage asked quickly.

"Out of the four gates I checked, three sets of guards said that even if the 'demon' passed through they wouldn't care and their exact words were, "I hope the little monster did leave, he'll probably be dead by the end of the night." And let me tell you Lord Hokage, I reported them to Ibiki before coming here." stated Iruka with more than a little anger edging into his voice

Hiruzen sighed. "And the last gate?" he asked, hoping for some positive news for once.

"Izumo and Kotetsu both asked if they could help with the search and called in a couple favors to summon someone to take over for them at the gate." Iruka said, a small smile edging on his face. "Sir, if Naruto is outside the walls, I request a team with those two and Hana Inuzuka as our tracker."

The Hokage thought about it, "Why Hana Inuzuka?"

"She's the only Inuzuka I know for a fact that bears no ill-will toward Naruto. I can't speak for the rest of her clan, but Hana and I were classmates and her brother calls Naruto, if not a friend, than an acquaintance and she's never had anything bad to say about him. We can't risk someone who hates Naruto interfering with the search out of spite." answered Iruka quickly.

The Hokage nodded in agreement. "Granted. Gather your team and report back, I'll have a mission scroll prepared."

Iruka paused and looked at the Hokage.

"This way I have a reason for letting a team of Chūnin out for an extended period of time. Also ensure all three know that this is to be kept below the radar, I don't want to let anyone learn about Naruto leaving until we have to." explained the aged Kage

"You think it will take that long?" asked Iruka

"Better safe than sorry, Naruto isn't going to be caged in by walls this time and, as upset as he is, I don't think he's going to come back willingly for some time." The Hokage finally admitted.

Iruka nodded before saluting and heading out to gather his team.

"If you see Kakashi, send him back immediately, I have a job for him incase Naruto stays out too long." added the Hokage as Iruka turned to leave

Iruka nodded as he hurried off. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure put his head in his hands wondering what he could do to make things right.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Same time, Miles away)_

Naruto sighed as he sat against a trunk several feet off the ground. He sipped the water from his canteen; thanking the Kami he'd filled it before leaving his family's home.

"What do you think boss?" one of the shadow clones asked from where he preparing another trap while the original regained his breath.

"We keep heading for the coast, and then we start traveling south along it." answered Naruto. "Eventually we should hit a village or a trading post. I'll be able to buy some supplies and we'll see where we can find a boat to Wave. If we have any luck at all we may even find a place to hunker down until the heat dies down a bit before grabbing a boat."

The clone scratched its head, a perfect imitation of the original. "Wouldn't it be better to go somewhere else? I mean, Wave is isolated, true…but…"

Naruto shook his head, glad that the clones proved that they could think independently. That would prove useful in the future.

"It doesn't have any treaties with Konoha so there's no reason for Konoha shinobi to be there, and it would be the last place they look for me. They don't have any ninja either so there's less chance someone will be able to find me if I want to stay hidden." answered the original as he screwed the cap back onto his canteen.

The clone smirked. "So we did pay attention to what Iruka was saying."

Naruto nodded, his act of sleeping allowed him to listen and learn more than when he was "paying attention" in class and teachers weren't sabotaging his work. He would have stopped it with Iruka-sensei, but he had gotten too used to it by then and it hadn't seemed worth the effort to ruin the image he'd made to trick the other teachers.

He looked at the clone. "Keep watch for a bit, I want to at least start reading mom's diary. Her letter indicated it would be a big help, and maybe I can learn something about this ring." He said gesturing to the Kōriwa on his pinky.

"Hey, how come we don't get one?" the clone asked looking at his bare hand.

Naruto thought a moment then shrugged. "My guess would be because of its nature. It's a unique and ancient weapon filled with a lot of chakra and power. Makes sense that it would be protected from being copied."

The clone nodded. "Have fun reading boss." stated the clone cheerfully as it leapt away to start patrolling the area.

Naruto pulled his mother's diary out and, after tracing the spiral on the front cover, opened it to the first page, smiling slightly at seeing the now familiar scrawl of his mother's handwriting.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_**I think this is stupid, but mom told me it would be beneficial to write out my thoughts and use it to record my training. She says to write in it like I'm trying to teach someone else what I'm learning, says it'll help me remember it better and that I never know when it will come in handy. I still don't get it, besides this is so GIRLY! I mean yeah, I'm a girl, but I'm not a wimp either. This reminds me of those merchant girls I see passing through. All dolled up and dressed like pretty little princesses. YUCK! I mean technically I'm a princess and you couldn't force me to dress like that!**_

_**(Sigh) but I'll do as mom says, and who knows, it might not be bad to vent at someone that won't flick me between the eyes or tell me to mind my manners. Sometimes I hate being a princess, having manners sucks ass.**_

_**Anyways, I refuse to write dear diary. I'll talk to you like a person, so…**_

_**Hello, how are you? My name is Kushina Uzumaki, age 12.**_

_**Today I started learning the first form, that's what grandpa says that the different styles of Wushu are called, of my family's school of martial arts. He says that each style is based around a central stance, or form, and that all techniques in the style extend from it. It's funny that most of the forms are named after animals, but as I watch mom and gramps practiced their own, I couldn't help but be mesmerized. For a crotchety old man, Gramps moves so smoothly, and mom moved almost like she was dancing. I want to learn so badly. Anyways, the first form is called Rabbit, it's really fast, with lots of quick, darting movement, and focuses a lot on defense and quick flurries of light attacks…**_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

Naruto read on before picking up one of the scrolls his mother talked about. His curiosity was piqued as he closed the diary after reading several entries about her own studies and day to day lessons. He discovered from one entry that the diary would continue to add pages and never show it, there were seals built in and Naruto knew that he would add to it himself, so his children could learn from both him and their grandmother.

Opening the scroll with the Rabbit symbol he saw diagrams of stances and movements as he skimmed through the instructions, noticing that the style of the scroll's writing was similar to the handwriting in the diary but much neater. He realized that his mother spent time copying her family's scrolls when she was younger.

'_I will learn all of it mom. I swear.'_ Naruto vowed to himself as he read the directions and looked at the diagrams of the movements. He could picture his mother painstakingly copying the clan scrolls into a new form just so he'd have a copy when he was learning. That thought only added to his determination to master each and every scroll.

'_It must have taken years to get them all.'_ he thought absently as he looked over the first style, before vowing that they would be well protected until he could find someplace safe.

He began practicing the first motions, checking the scroll every so often and making adjustments to his stance as he tried to get the movements perfect.

The clone returned an hour later.

"Boss, some of the other clones have dispersed!" shouted the panicked clone

Naruto paused and closed his, realizing that their memories were starting to filter in. He smiled as some of the clones took great pleasure in annoying the Jounin and his dogs as they tried to catch up. Every time he summoned one, there was a trap waiting soon after, which slowed down and clearly irritated their one-eyed pursuer.

"Alright, we'd better get moving as well. No point in sitting around and risking getting caught if the idiot chasing us decides to turn around." agreed Naruto as he started packing up the scroll, diary, and canteen. He slipped the straps of his pack over his shoulders and leapt away, the clone following.

"Aren't we going to create more?" asked the clone.

Naruto shook his head. "No, it seems that one eye is heading north-west, along our first diversion. The group of clones I sent that way should have enough chakra to get to the border, they can lose him there and the trail should be plenty cold by time he can pick it up again, so it's best not to waste any more time." explained the blonde as he started leaping away, his clone following slightly behind him.

The shadow clone nodded after reaching the same conclusion. "I think there is more to this jutsu than we first thought boss." the clone said thoughtfully

Naruto smiled. "Yeah. Wish I'd given the scroll more than a quick once through, but I was on a time limit. Now we know that whatever a clone knows and learns, the rest of us learn upon its dispersal."

"That should really help us out when it comes to training, right boss?" the clone asked.

Naruto thought about it for a moment. "We'll see. I want to learn everything myself, but I also know that I don't have a lot of time with Konoha chasing after us. Still I don't want to take any shortcuts with this one. That seems like something the teme would do."

The clone nodded. "And we never want to cheat and take a shortcut." stated the clone proudly.

"Hard work is the best way to go." agreed the original blonde as they continued to leap.

The clone seemed to think for a moment before offering a suggestion. "What about doing a bit of both, learning on our own first then using the shadow clones to master what we've learned. Should cut down on the time needed without giving up any of the real work?"

Naruto thought about it before nodding. "Sounds like a good idea. Sometimes I love the way our mind works." he stated with a wicked smile.

"Boss, why am I still with you?" the clone asked after a while.

"Company mostly. I figured it would give me someone to talk to and bounce ideas off of rather than talking to myself. That and if something happens it'll be good to have some extra hands without needing to do the jutsu first." answered the original blonde offhandedly

"Oh, you mean like when you were memorizing how to do hand seals." the clone agreed knowingly, and then got a look on its face. "Why did you mess up during tests though, we knew everything? I have all of the memories, but…I can't remember any of your thoughts or intentions. I just remember doing it. Not why or what we were thinking about during it."

Naruto frowned in thought. "Hm, that's another thing we've learned about the Kage Bunshin technique. You know what I do, but you don't know my personal thoughts and feelings, it's like you read about my life in a book, instead of actually living it." stated the blonde thoughtfully.

"But you get all our thoughts and ideas when we disperse, I remember one memory of a clone thinking of a trap and its design when it dispersed." added the clone.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, his mind trying to grasp the strange abilities his newest jutsu seemed to possess. "We learn more on our own than with the 'oh so helpful' teachers of Konoha." Naruto stated with a frown as he stopped. Leaping to the top of the tree he looked back towards the horizon and knew that the forested valley where Konoha was located was now long out of sight.

"Boss?" questioned the clone, surprised by his creator's sudden stop.

Naruto shook his head. "Let's go." he ordered the clone. His thoughts had turned to the old man, trying to sort out his reasons. Even after the rampart betrayal the old man had committed against him, he still couldn't bring himself to hate the man who had showed him so much kindness throughout his life.

'_I'll be back old man. If nothing more than to show all of Konoha that I am Naruto Uzumaki, son of Kushina, descendent of the Mandarin. You and the village denied me my family's legacy and I will make you all regret it. I am Maelstrom, as my mother named me, and I will show them what that means.'_ vowed the blonde as he leapt through the forest.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(A Few Days Later, Unnamed Fishing Village)_

Naruto sat in the main room of a small cabin. The cabin itself looked like it, like the rest of the village, had been abandoned recently. It had taken a half-dozen Kage Bunshin less than an hour to get it up to livable conditions, while another group had scouted the remainder of the village and the nearby docks, looking for supplies and information.

He'd been surprised finding the village completely abandoned, but there seemed to be no reason for it. The place was completely deserted and mostly empty, meaning that the villagers had either taken most of their stuff with them when they left, or whatever had taken them had taken their things as well. He'd only managed to find a few containers of dried food and some furniture, but the surrounding woods were full of fresh game, mostly rabbits, boars, and a couple of deer, while the waters were teaming with fish. It obviously hadn't been a lack of food that had sent the people running.

Still he'd taken the largest house in the village and set out a dozen clones in all directions to keep an eye on things, just in case. He had to replace them every couple days, since he'd discovered that the Kage Bunshin seemed to have a time limit anywhere between a few hours to a few days depending on how much chakra he put into them. Another fact to add to the list of his newest jutsu's many surprises. The one he'd created to travel with had disappeared early yesterday, just going _*poof*_ for no apparent reason. From the memories slowly streaming in, it seemed the remaining clones he'd made while trying to avoid his pursuer were also dispersing about that time, he'd have to take a bit of time to sort through those memories tonight.

Hopefully they'd lasted long enough to lose whatever shinobi were on his trail. Still best to be cautious, he'd make a new batch of clones for watch duty and have them on high alert as well as have a couple prepare everything in case they needed to make a hasty exit. While he hadn't found a boat, he'd been lucky enough to find a pretty detailed map of the local coast in one of the smaller huts and found out there was a good-sized port less than a day south by ninja travel. He'd be able to get some answers and supplies there.

He'd have to be careful, he didn't want to be spotted in case Konoha ninja were actively looking for him or had sent out word for him to be detained to the local authorities. The fact that he'd done nothing wrong didn't seem to matter at this point. He'd done nothing seriously bad his entire life and was still treated like scum. It was just another life lesson he'd been forced to learn at an early age: Life wasn't fair.

"Boss?" shouted the clone he'd assigned kitchen duty. "Soup's on."

"Thanks." returned the blonde as he placed a marker in his mother's diary to continue reading after he ate. No sense risking getting soup or grease on it and leaving it unreadable. He looked at the clone. "Aren't you having any?"

"We don't need food." the clone answered, shrugging its shoulders slightly.

Naruto returned the shrug before quickly devouring the fish soup and greens his clones had been able to gather from the surrounding woods. He'd save the canned and dehydrated stuff until he needed it.

After eating, the blonde cleared the table before setting up an oil lamp he'd found and opened his mother's diary, hoping to learn more about his mother while he digested before going to bed for the night.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_**Hey,**_

_**You won't believe what happened today. As you know I've been learning Rabbit style and as I've told you before it's hard, but at the same time it's satisfying as I complete each kata and techniques. Well me and gramps were sparring today and I finally understood the over-under combination that I've been stuck on for over a week. Gah, can you believe it? Shocked gramps too when I sent the old badger sprawling, but he was smiling when he got up.**_

_**Anyways, mom fought with me again and suddenly she stops and after sending me to get washed and dressed we sat over tea. (Yuck, why do we have to drink that stuff just because we're nobles? I mean we're ninja too right?) Anyways she sits me down and congratulates me on learning Rabbit style. Gramps comes in then with a scroll under his arm. Both are giving me funny looks and smiles. It was then that gramps handed me the next step in my training, Crane Form. From what I've seen it's a lot more graceful than Rabbit's quick and darting movement and features more attacks, mostly palm thrusts, knife-handed strikes and blocks, powerful kicks, strong jumps to augment dodges and kicks, and the use of what Grandpa called 'the crane's beak.' (That's this weird hand-form where the hand is bent downwards at the wrist with all of the fingers extended and closed together to make it look like a beak.) Gramps say the fingers are used to strike at weak spots such as the ears, eyes or use nerve-strikes, while the hard surface of the bent wrist would be utilized to strike with power using odd angles. It's also good for hooking and parrying incoming attacks according to Mom (She always focuses more on defense than offense). Mom says it's a good internal style too (Whatever that means), and if focuses a lot equilibrium, balance, and precision. What's really cool is that it's the first style to have a signature weapon, something gramps says each of the more advanced styles has. For Crane the weapon is a pair of matched Tiě Shàn **_(War Fans)_**. (I know they look pretty girly, but the way gramps used them was something else.)**_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

Naruto sighed and put the diary aside.

"What's wrong boss?" the clone asked as it cleaned up the kitchen.

"I need to finish the style mom suggested first before I can read further." stated the original blonde sadly. "She writes a lot about her training and how she did things. I don't want to confuse things by reading about something before I start it."

The clone shrugged, "If you say so boss. Still I thought we were planning on using the Kage Bunshin to train some?"

"I am." agreed the blonde. "I just want to get the basics firmly rooted on my own before I start using the clones to train. That way they'll have a solid grasp of it when I make them and I can use them further master it while moving on to the next style."

The clone nodded his head in agreement before heading back to the kitchen to washing the dishes. The village lacked running water, so a couple of clones were constantly porting in fresh water from a nearby spring for drinking and cleaning.

As the clone left, the original blonde sighed to himself. "I know I'm going to have issues later if I keep talking to myself like this." the blonde muttered before chuckling. "Then again I've never been the picture of sanity anyway so what does it matter?" Shaking his head slightly at the odd turn of his own thoughts, he put down his mother's diary and pulled out the scroll on Rabbit style. Soon enough he was rereading the scroll again, committing as much to memory as he could so the clones would know it as well. Somehow the jutsu passed knowledge to his clones without personal thoughts or feelings but transferred all of it back to the original; another odd fact for his favorite jutsu.

"I'll need to get some weights and things at some point." muttered the blonde after he finished studying and put up the scroll before heading to bed. He'd found a couple of pretty nice mattresses in a couple of different huts and they made for a nice soft bed. As he walked he mentally cursed having to leave Konoha in such a rush, if he'd had a day…hell if he'd had a couple of hours to buy some training supplies this would be so much easier.

But if he'd stayed the old man would have never let him leave. He didn't know what the old man could have done to force him to stay, but he didn't want to wait and find out. Sarutobi had already shown he was capable of a lot of things the blonde had never believed his grandfather-figure capable of. Lying to him his entire life and denying him his heritage had proven that much. He wasn't willing to risk anything involving the old man or Konoha anymore.

Besides the village wasn't his home, not anymore, and he'd be damned thrice-over if he let it bind him down anymore. Konoha had lost its whipping boy when he found the truth and his heritage and now it could burn for all Naruto cared. Maybe later he'd find a village to call home, but for now the road was his home and he was going to get to know it as well as possible.

The blonde yawned once as he headed for his temporary bedroom. Time to sleep. He'd get an early start in the morning practicing Rabbit some more. Hopefully he'd have the basics down well enough to start using clones to master it by the end of the week and then move on to the next style in his mother's journal.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Same time, Konoha) _

"Report." ordered the Hokage gruffly.

Kakashi stood at attention, even though his whole body ached and protested the action. He'd had little to no time to rest over the past few days. "I lost his trail at the border with Iwa." reported the one-eyed nin.

"WHAT!?" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted in shock, rising to his feet. "Didn't our patrols try and stop him?"

Kakashi shook his head in the negative. "No, they actually laughed as he crossed over. The Iwa border guards took him in."

"Blast." The Hokage slammed his palm on his desk. "Remind me to put the entire damn border guard on report for that, we'll see how much they laugh while cleaning the sewers." grumbled the old man quietly.

"Sir?" Kakashi offered, regaining the old man's attention. "Pakkun and I believe that the Naruto we were pursuing was a clone. We found too many trails to be sure and simply followed the one we thought best. It seemed to have more traps placed along it than the others, so we assumed it was the one that Naruto used, which, I think, is exactly what he wanted us to believe."

Hiruzen took in Kakashi's bedraggled appearance, it looked like the younger man hadn't slept since he left and had been fighting for half the time. "What happened?"

The one eyed Jounin went on to explain the large number of traps that kept taking out his dogs and how he figured that he was on the right path. "But one of my dogs mentioned that the scent was weakening, I didn't think about it at the time as I was…annoyed." That was an understatement; he was half-ready to strangle the blonde at that point. "When we do get him back, may I suggest apprenticing him to a trap-master? The kid's clearly got the talent for it." he added as an afterthought, some of those traps were downright devious, if a bit amateurish.

"I'll consider it." agreed the Hokage before sighing. "Get cleaned up and get some rest. I've already sent out Iruka for a more long-term search, he and his team left more than an hour ago."

"Team?"

"I gave Iruka a squad to track and find Naruto. It's an all Chūnin team, but they are all skilled in their own fields."

"May I ask who?" questioned Kakashi curiously.

"Iruka's the team captain and he took Izumo and Kotetsu, since both have experience chasing the boy and are fond of him, and Hana Inuzuka as the team's main tracker."

Kakashi blinked. "Sir, after I clean up, permission to join the team?" if his growing suspicions were right he wanted to get some answers from the blonde himself before the Hokage.

The head of the Sarutobi clan sighed before shaking his head. "Denied. I had hoped they would have sent you back earlier. You being missing for a few days has already started raising certain eyebrows, adding you to the team would only garner further suspicion. Four Chūnin are assigned missions all the time, but adding a Jounin to them this late would alert certain elements of the council."

"How do you plan on preventing the council from marking him as a missing nin?" Kakashi asked.

"Technically, we can't officially. The boy was within his rights to quit the shinobi program and leave since, officially, he was just a Genin." stated the Hokage quietly, _'Just like we have no rights to try and stop him.'_

"That won't stop certain elements of the council from putting a bounty on his head." stated Kakashi.

"That's where you come in." the Hokage agreed. He laid out his plan and Kakashi blinked at what he heard.

"It's a long-term mission. It means you'll be taking a Genin Team this year."

Kakashi sighed but nodded his head in agreement. "I'll use the Kage Bunshin then, maybe have one of my summons stand in when they can. I was already worried about Danzō and his interest in Sasuke, this just adds another reason."

"I am as well. You'll have your work cut out for you in this one Kakashi; it will be S-rank pay."

Kakashi nodded. "I just hope we can get Naruto back before too much time has passed. It will be nearly impossible to keep this charade up for long."

"I do as well." The Hokage said, his eyes going to the portraits of the other Hokage's, lingering on his successor and predecessor for a while longer. "I do as well."

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Short Time Later, Miles away)_

Team Umino had paused several times already as they pursued the wayward blonde, stopping to study the dozens of paths arrayed before them, each sporting a variety of traps. This time was no different

"Well it looks like Kakashi followed him to the Iwa border." Iruka said, reading a message a messenger hawk had just delivered. "Hana?" he asked, looking up at the Inuzuka vet.

Her dogs sniffed the surrounding air, before looking at her and whining. She shook her head. "The trails are all getting weaker; the one heading due south-east, toward the coast and the border with _Mizu no Kuni_ (Water Country) is the strongest, but all of them are starting weaken. It could either be because the trails are simply getting cold, or we took the wrong path. The others seem to be fading faster though, so I think following that one's our best bet."

"Man, we knew Naruto was good, but to fool Kakashi?" stated an impressed Kotetsu, scratching his bandaged nose.

"Don't forget, he led Anbu around the village for hours when he was barely in his teens." Izumo reminded his partner. "It's not really that surprising that he's a lot better now that he's got more space to move around in. What's impressing me are the traps he's setting along the way. Some of the ones we've encountered were down right nefarious."

"Now you're the one forgetting the kid was a prankster prodigy." cut in Kotetsu. "Pranking and trap-laying aren't too different, one's just aimed to humiliate, the other's designed to eliminate."

Iruka nodded his head slowly, agreeing with both. "We'll go slow with the one heading south-east then, we don't have time to back-track and see if we made a wrong decision. All we can do is follow the best lead for now. We'll send a messenger bird back about our findings later when we stop for the night."

They continued their journey mostly in silence, Iruka having them stop and disable any traps that he detected, which was most of them since trap-detection was one of Iruka's specialties.

"Kid's good." Hana said as she inspected another trap. "How's he laying so many traps and trails while still staying ahead of us?"

"Kage Bunshin." answered Iruka, "He learned it the night of the graduation exam. Mizuki tricked him into stealing the Forbidden Scroll for him, saying it was a secondary exam, and learned the jutsu from it in just a few hours."

Hana whistled lowly, impressed. "How the hell did the kid fail three times if he could do all that? His stealth skills and trap-laying alone should have seen him pass the first time, with honors even."

"He couldn't pass the final tests." Iruka answered sadly.

"Bullshit." snorted Hana, "There's a kid in last year's group that can't use chakra at all. And I know my little brother can barely perform the academy Henge and Bunshin. He has to use Akamaru."

Iruka nodded remembering Kiba's use of his dog to pass his test. "Naruto…he never asked for help." he offered sadly, thinking of all the ways he could have helped the blonde but didn't, all because he didn't want to show favoritism.

Kotetsu snorted from his position. "You blame him? I bet the teacher before you squashed that desire."

Izumo nodded. "Kid's had it rough; most of the stuff he knows probably comes from being self-taught. Would explain the lack of book-smarts anyway."

Iruka was feeling worse at how little he knew about the blond. He touched the headband in his vest. '_I will give this back to you Naruto. You earned it beating Mizuki and protecting the scroll from him.' _promised the Chūnin instructor He vowed to do better for the blond. '_I'll make sure you learn everything and no one will deny you your right to be Hokage.'_ he thought remembering the blonde's dream and hoping it still rang true.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Next Day, Unnamed Village)_

"Boss?" shouted a clone, the blonde thought it was one of the ones he'd sent to scout the nearby area.

"What?" Naruto asked as he stopped going through the kata for Rabbit style.

"We found a boat." stated the clone proudly.

Naruto looked over the place that been his temporary home for the past couple of days. "How far, and what's its condition?"

"Not far, a bunch of the others are carrying it back right. It's pretty small, but there's little real damage we can't fix in a few hours, and there is still some gas in the motor."

Naruto nodded. After a few moments of thought, he came to a decision. "When they get back with the boat have everyone start gathering everything up. We'll start heading toward the port-town tomorrow, hopefully we'll be able to gather some supplies and information there before heading to Wave."

"What's so special about Wave?" questioned the clone, still not sure why their boss was so fixated on that small dot on the map.

"A fresh start." responded the blonde with a small grin. "We won't stay long, maybe a couple months, but we do need to get our head on straight and take some time to seriously train. There shouldn't be any ninja there so hiding out shouldn't be a problem."

The clone nodded. "That's a good plan boss. I'll go and tell the others, if we head out early we can probably make it there by early evening. Should give us enough time to get any supplies we need and we can ship out by nightfall."

Naruto nodded, it was a sound plan. "Good thinking. I've nearly got the basics of Rabbit style down pat, once we get to Wave I should be able to start using Clones to help me master it while I move on to Crane."

The clone nodded in agreement before running off to meet the others and relay the orders.

'_The Kage Bunshin really is an amazingly useful jutsu, and the more I learn about it the more amazing it becomes.'_ thought the blonde with a grin. His eyes landed on the Kōriwa. '_I'll begin learning more about you as well my little friend. With the help of my clones I'll be able to catch up on all the lost time far quicker than I ever imagined possible. I can't search for Tsunade or the other rings until I can defend myself properly, particularly with Konoha hunting for me.'_

The blonde went back into his kata, not noticing the ring shining slightly with a pale blue light.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_(Next Evening, Port Town of Maguro_ (Tuna))

Naruto was in a small camping shop. He was currently disguised using a Henge to turn his blonde hair and blue eyes an unremarkable shade of brown and to hide his whisker marks. He'd stopped by several other shops already, a local beauty shop to buy dies and makeup to hide his real hair color and birthmarks without relying on the Henge, an exercise shop to buy some light training equipment, a grocer to stock up on dry goods and supplies, a clothing shop to pick up some less visible clothes other than the ones he'd taken from his family's home, and now this shop to pick up a few extra necessities for surviving in the woods.

So far things were going well. Granted the exercise shop was mostly a waste of time since the equipment was all for civilian use and not designed to help shinobi and he didn't want to risk going to a weapon shop where there was a chance Konoha shinobi would be, and he doubted they'd have any shinobi-grade weapons anyway, besides he hadn't gotten a chance to go through all the weapons he'd taken from his parent's dojo yet so he had no idea what he needed. Still, other than those minor disappointments, things were going well. The blonde absently picked up a book on edible plant and wildlife and added it to the basket that already contained a tent, a hatchet, a shovel, a few extra blankets, a couple first aid kits, some flint and tinder, and a couple of other survival manuals. He also picked up a bow and arrow set, it wouldn't be much use in combat but it was perfect for hunting.

"First time heading out for a bit of camping son?" asked the old timer who seemed to own this place.

"Not really old man. Just got a bit of money for my birthday and was planning on using it to get some new stuff." answered the blonde.

The old man nodded his head from behind the counter. "Always good to have new equipment when you can get it." he agreed.

"You can say that again." agreed the blonde as he added a couple more books to his bundle and carried it up to the front. Deciding to try and get some Intel while he was at it he asked, "Hey old timer, you know anything about that abandoned village a few days north-east from here? My friends and I were out hiking and camping a week ago and stumbled across it."

"Oh that place? Aye, it's a terrible thing, there's been pirate raids all along the coast for the past few months, a number of villages were attacked and the people were either taken or slaughtered. Terrible thing really. So a lot of the smaller villages have pulled up roots and came to the cities to try and stay safe. The chief's doing his best to keep everyone fed and safe at least, and he's sending out patrols of soldiers from the local garrison to investigate. I hear he's even sending out a contract to get some ninja from Konoha to help look into things, so things should clear up soon." offered the old man while he rang up his purchases. "Still, it'd be smart to stay away from the coast for a while if you go camping again soon."

"Yeah, I'll do that old timer, thanks for the news." agreed the blonde, trying to keep his nervousness out of his voice. That was just another reason to get to Wave quick, if Konoha ninja were investigating the coast; he didn't want to be anywhere near it. Paying the man he hurried out and headed toward the small dock where his clones had set up the boat.

They needed to get gone, ASAP!

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**END CHAPTER 2**

**Again mostly a bit of reprinting with some changes and adjustments with a bit of my own madness stuck in here and there. It's going to be that way for a few chapters more.**

**As EroSlackerMicha stated in his own fics a couple of things:**

**1) The idea of the rings and the Mandarin are all that was taken from Marvel. The Mandarin himself and the powers they possess will be mostly original.**

**2) The pendent Tsunade is holding is not the Shodaime's Necklace, it is something else entirely.**

**Until next READ AND REVIEW**


	3. Setting Up Camp

_Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings_

**Review Response**

_**To everyone else who read and reviewed thank you for your time and attention**_

"Normal Speech"

'_Normal Thought'_

"**Demon/Large Summon Speech"**

'_**Demon/Large Summon Thought' **_

**Jutsu**, _Kung Fu Technique,_ _Ring Power_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or even the original idea for this story. All I own is any of my original ideas. **

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**Chapter 3: Setting up Camp**

_(Unnamed Village, the Next Day)_

"He was here." Hana's voice cut through the quiet of the early morning as she approached Iruka and the others. "Looks like he was living her for a while, too. Few days, maybe the majority of a week."

"How can you tell, the place is abandoned?" Izumo asked, coming out of one of the huts.

"Yeah, something about pirate raids along this area of the coast. A mission scroll came in a day or two before this whole mess started, so the Hokage has probably already sent a team out to investigate." added Kotetsu.

"His scent is still strong here and one of the larger buildings has had someone living in it recently, while the rest were abandoned weeks ago. The place was cleaned recently and it looks like most of the other buildings were searched." stated the female member of the team, gesturing to the place she'd come from. Her ninken, the Haimaru trio, were resting just outside the door.

"Did something spook him out of here?" questioned Iruka.

Hana shook her head negatively. "I don't think so. There are no signs of a rush, and everything seems to have been cleaned out. Judging by the scent trail we missed him by a day or two. My partners are having trouble picking up any signs of a trail with the amount of time that's passed and the amount of salt in the air, but I think he headed south-west."

"There's a port town to the south-west, maybe he was hoping to catch a boat?" offered Izumo.

Iruka cursed under his breath. "If that's true then he could be anywhere by now." he thought for a moment before issuing orders, "Let the trio get some rest, we'll try and find out what happened here before heading to the port." Iruka motioned for Kotetsu to follow.

"Poor guy seems really bothered by all this." stated Izumo sadly.

"Iruka feels like he let Naruto down on so many levels. It's one of the reasons he's trying so hard to find him." explained Hana as she sat down next to her ninken and took a drink from her canteen, before filling a bowl she found inside and offering it to her dogs, who lapped up the liquid happily.

"You think we'll be able to find him? It's only been about a week since he left and we're already falling way behind."

Hana shrugged. "We lost a lot of time back tracking and dealing with traps, most of which seemed to have been done by Shadow Clones. The kid's got a good lead and is very good at evasion."

Izumo smirked while shaking his head. "Ain't that the truth, me and Kotetsu always enjoyed the chases the kid led us on across the village, even if we only caught him when he wanted to be caught. He kept things interesting and it always beat gate duty." he chuckled lightly to himself. "Naruto hunting was probably one of the funnest duties you could get assigned to, as long as you didn't mind a few paint balloons going off in your face, but judging from those traps he set the kids playing for keeps now." he finished somberly

"Doesn't it bother you that the whole village has misjudged him so badly?" Hana asked sadly. "I'm pretty sure you can count on both hands the number of people who've ever treated the kid with anything resembling kindness. Even the people who don't hate him are coldly neutral at best."

Izumo sobered. "There weren't a lot of us brave enough to risk becoming pariah for helping him out. Still some of us did what we could to help."

Hana sighed. "I honestly can't blame the kid for leaving." she said sadly. "I know if I had been put through what the kid has been I'd have done a runner before I hit ten. That's if I didn't try and pull an Itachi on the entire village before then."

Izumo nodded. "They call him a demon and treat him like garbage. Idiots." the Chūnin shook his head. "If he was anything close to the Kyūbi, he'd have slaughtered the entire village a long time ago. I remember watching it from the shelter as it attacked the village that night." the man shuddered at the thought. "Still gives me nightmares just thinking about it. Anyone who can't see the difference needs to have their head examined."

The pair sat in silence for a bit. "I hope he's alright." Hana said, petting Sumimaru while the other two dogs used the time to sleep.

"The kid's fine." stated Izumo seriously. "He's a survivor. Always has been, always will be."

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Same Time, Wave)_

Naruto sighed as he pulled the boat into a small inlet, noticing an old, abandoned-looking shack near the beach's edge. The entire place seemed abandoned.

"Looks promising." stated the blonde as he held his hand in the cross seal and created two dozen Kage Bunshin.

"Alright guys break up into groups of four. I want the first group to take the boat and hide it in the interior, dig a hole and place it in there before covering the top with some of the old blankets we found in the last village and then cover those with some loose foliage to camouflage it. I don't want anyone to know we're here and finding our boat would be a pretty good sign. After its hidden one of you dispel to let me know while the others stand watch. Stay in the trees and stay hidden."

Four of the clones nodded and went to pick up the small motor boat and move it into the wood.

"Next four of you start fixing up the roof; I want it watertight by nightfall. The next group I want cleaning the inside, get it as close to habitable as possible before you start unsealing anything from the scrolls. The next group will be working to clear some space around the area for training and cooking, and the other will scout the area looking for fresh food, fish, game, or herbs I don't care which, I just don't want to crack our supplies until we have to." ordered the blonde as over a dozen more Shadow Clones saluted before starting their work.

"What about us boss?" asked one of the last four.

"Explore the island as thoroughly as possible, I want to know where we are and where everything else is, but stay hidden. I don't want to make contact with the natives just yet." ordered the blonde.

The clones nodded and did as they were told.

Naruto sighed after he finished organizing his clones. "Looks like this is going to be our new home base for the foreseeable future. Could be a lot worse I guess." he muttered to himself before deciding to start reading his mother's journal again, he'd almost gotten the basic of Rabbit down and was going to start using his clones to master it soon, right now he'd take a look at his mom's journal and see what he'd need to do when he started on the next level.

_**~~~XXXXX~~~**_

_**You'll never guess what happened today. **_

_**I thought we were going to start training in Crane style today, but Grandma met me in the dojo instead of Mom or Gramps. She said that since I've mastered Rabbit its time I started expanding out of martial arts training and start learning some of the other ninja skills, starting with Fūinjutsu **_(Seal Techniques)._** She started by showing me how to make the ink, you just take regular, high-quality ink and mix it with your own blood. (Gross I know, but Grandma says it's what allows us to channel our chakra through the ink and activate the seal's effects.) She then showed me the first seal I'll be learning to make; it's called the **__**Hyōryō Shishifūin**_(Four Limbs Weighing Seal). _**The seals are supposed to act as training weights that I can dispel, increase, or decrease just by channeling my chakra through them in a certain way. Granny says we Uzumaki have been using seals since shortly after the time of the Mandarin and we've got an almost instinctive grasp for them. I've drawn it on the bottom of the page.**__**It's really cool and I can't wait to learn more. **_

_**~~~XXXXX~~~**_

Naruto smiled. "Well that takes care of one of my problems." stated the blonde as he opened his pack and started rifling through the storages seals. "I know there were a couple of books on introductory Fūinjutsu in the safe and library at home, along with a couple dozen jars of ink and parchment."

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Few Hours Later, Iruka's Group)_

"There's a thick fog rolling in, we're going to have to camp here for the night and head for the port in the morning. Hopefully we'll find some trace of him there." stated Iruka as he and Kotetsu rejoined their team. "We'll use the house Naruto used since it's already been secured."

Izumo and Kotetsu both nodded and went to start gathering firewood, it looked like they were going to need it.

"Hana, are the Trio up for any more tonight?" Iruka asked Hana. He knew that he'd been pushing the dogs hard, but he had to find Naruto.

Hana gave the man a slight nod. "They can go for a bit, but the smell of salt is making it hard for them to pick up the scent trail, and this fog is only going to make it that much worse."

Iruka clenched his fist but nodded. "We found some tracks heading south-west outside the village perimeter; I want to make sure they're Naruto's. If they are then I'm guessing Izumo was right and he's heading for the port. He might already be on a ship by now."

Hana nodded before standing up and calling for Sumimaru. "Come on boy. Let's see if we can find our missing fox." she greeted the grey ninken.

The dog gave a bark of agreement as Iruka led her and the dog to where he and Kotetsu had found the tracks. The Chūnin watched as the dog sniffed the muddy ground near the village's western edge before giving a loud bark.

"They're Naruto's alright." Hana confirmed with a nod of her head. "Looks like he's heading for the port and a boat."

"Damn it." cursed Iruka, kicking a bit of dirt. "That means we'll need to head to the port at first light. Hopefully he hasn't been able to find a ship yet, but if he has there may be some records of where they headed." Iruka sighed heavily. "It's still going to be that much harder, who knows how many boats leave the port each day, and if any of them take passengers? Hell he might not even have bought passage and just stowed away." the scar-nosed Chūnin looked close to ripping out his hair in frustration.

"We'll find him Iruka." Hana said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"It's not enough." Iruka said. "I didn't realize until it was too late how much he was hurting, how alone he was. It took my best friend turning on me before I decided to try and help him like I should have been doing from the beginning. And now…now he's gone and alone and…"

Hana pulled her long-time friend into a firm hug. "We'll find him and make it right." she promised, trying to comfort her distraught friend. The pair hugged as the fog rolled in leaving them as nothing more than a shadow in the fog. Sumimaru huffed at the strangeness of his pet's mating habits.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Same Time, Wave)_

"Boss!" shouted one of the clones as he approached him

The blond looked up from the fūinjutsu text he'd been reading. "What is it?" he asked the clone..

"We've finished with a rough mapping of the island. This forest seems to cover most of it, except for a couple freshwater lakes and streams, but there are three key points. The first is a village near the opposite side of the island. It's pretty small and looks to be in pretty bad shape, looks like the place is suffering from a bad recession or something. Then about a mile away from the village proper is a huge construction site, it looks like someone's trying to build a bridge to the mainland or something, looks like they just started recently too. Last there's really big, really gaudy mansion, about halfway between here and the village. Supposedly some rich guy by the name of Gatō owns the place." explained the clone showing him the rough map he and the other clones had drawn. "This Gatō guy seems like bad news boss, he's got a virtual army of thugs running around and the people in the village seem terrified of him. From what one of us overheard he killed some local hero named Kaiza a year ago and took over the place."

Naruto sighed, this was not good. "We'll try and avoid him for now, best not to draw unwanted attention to ourselves, and we don't even know the full situation yet. Do we need anything from the village?"

The clone snorted. "They have less than us. Like I said before boss, the village is in real bad shape."

Naruto nodded, "We'll use the boat and head back to the port if we need supplies, but I don't want to do that more than absolutely necessary. Anything else?"

The clone shook its head. "I left two of the others behind to keep an eye on the village in case anything happens, while the last one is scouting out Gatō's place.

"That was good thinking." agreed the blonde, "I'll make some more clones and have them start setting traps around our site, and we can start positioning guards like before.

The clone nodded, "With the dense trees and foliage, some pitfalls and snares would work perfectly." it stated thoughtfully.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement with his clone's assessment. "Have the two you left behind keep a close eye on the village. Try and stay out of sight, but gather whatever information you can about what's going on. If someone tries to do something heroically stupid it could cause us a lot of problems."

"Boss, shouldn't we…" the clone started.

"I know what you're going to say and I agree. I want to do something to help them to, but right now there's nothing we can do. As you said Gatō's got a whole army on his side, and despite our jutsu we're only a single man. It'd just be suicide to strike now, but if we see an opportunity to help, we'll take it, okay?" stated the blonde angrily, he didn't like being unable to help but for now he had to focus on getting stronger. Then he could help.

The clone nodded before dispelling, sending the new orders to its siblings in the map making group. Naruto once again formed the handseal and created another half-dozen Kage Bunshin to start preparing traps around their base.

He then started inspecting the other teams' work. Both the roof repair and cleaning teams were doing nicely; all the times Naruto had been forced to do maintenance on his own apartment were starting to come in handy. _'I never thanked the old man for those home-repair and maintenance books.'_ he thought absently to himself, before shaking his head. The old man was still a confusing subject for the young blonde, he both hated him for keeping everything a secret for so long and denying his mother's dying wish, but he still remembered the many kind acts he'd shown him over the years. The mixing, spinning emotions were enough to give him a headache.

The food team returned soon after with a bushel of fish, a rabbit, and a number of different berries and herbs.

"Games not as abundant as the last village, but there's plenty of fish and the forest is chockfull of these berries." stated the lead clone, holding up a parcel of small blue orbs. "The book called them blueberries and they're pretty sweet."

Naruto nodded, "Looks good guys, thank you."

"You need us for anything else?" the apparent leader of the food group asked.

"Join up with the new team making defenses around the camp, but one of you dispel to give the rest the knowledge you've gathered about the local terrain."

The food group nodded before playing a quick game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who dispelled. After the loser poofed, they set out to get to work.

Naruto meanwhile gathered the food the group had set down and started preparing dinner. The team he'd assigned to help prepare the exterior had already dug a fire pit, so it was relatively quick work getting the fire started. He mashed and ground up some of the berries and herbs to make a sweet baste for his fish, while letting the rabbit cook on its own. It smelled divine.

'_While I'm waiting I might as well start planning out my training schedule. I've got Rabbit style down enough that I can leave mastering it to my clones. According to the book on Fūinjutsu I need to practice my calligraphy a lot to be any good at seals, but with my clones that shouldn't be a problem. I should probably finish reading that introductory book on sealing while they practice the calligraphy tomorrow, and I'll start working on Crane style after lunch. So I'll need two batches of training clones, one to practice calligraphy, the other to practice Rabbit.'_ confirmed the blonde.

The clones inside the shack had apparently finished their work and dispelled as a group. Naruto hissed slightly in pain as the sudden surge of information gave him a headache, which always happened after a group of clones dispersed together. After assimilating the information the blonde could only smirk at the newest chakra control exercise his clones had thought of while cleaning.

"Hm, using chakra control to walk on the ceiling? Cool." He looked at some of the tall trees surrounding their newest hideaway and remembered the chakra control exercise his mom had mentioned in her earlier entries. _'Guess I should add tree climbing to my training regimen tomorrow.' _thought the blonde

He sniffed the food cooking in front of him, wondering what the future would hold.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(3 months later, Naruto's Hideaway)_

Three months came and went fairly quickly for the young blonde as he fell into a routine of constantly training his mind and body. Early mornings were spent with a brief workout regimen before breakfast. Breakfast was followed by physical training, followed by lunch, more training with the occasional hunting trip into the forest, then dinner, after which he'd spend a couple hours reading either his scrolls, his books or skimming through his mother's journal looking for new information.

His clones were proving incredibly helpful now that he was actively using them in his training process. After only a month of having a half-dozen clones practicing calligraphy constantly the blonde had good enough control over his penmanship to start working on basic Fūinjutsu. He'd already mastered and applied the **Hyōryō Shishifūin** (Four Limbs Weighing Seal) to each of his arms and legs and had them currently set at about twenty-five pounds each. He'd originally started at five pounds each but his body adapted to the weight very quickly. According to his mom's diary, that was because his bloodline was constantly healing any damage done to the muscles much more quickly than normally allowing them to strengthen quicker. He'd also managed to learn how to make storage scrolls, paper bombs, and a few other useful tricks.

He also had them working on Rabbit and, as of two month ago, Crane style. Each morning he'd set a team of a half-dozen clones working through the katas of each style, and each morning he could feel the progress they were making, the movements and attack patterns of the katas flowing quicker and easier with each passing day. Naruto himself had started on the third kata from his mother's diary, Snake.

_**~~~XXXXX~~~**_

_**Hey again, I finally mastered that tricky jump kick technique from Crane style. Mom and Gramps were both really impressed and they said I can finally move on to the next form: Snake. This one is really intense, it focuses a lot on lashing or whipping your arms, using the force and momentum of the movements to power your attacks and focus them on vital nerve clusters and other weak spots, along with quick, sinuous movements of the legs and torso to dodge and misdirect enemy attacks. It also uses this weird hand form called snake hand, which basically an open hand with the fingertips slightly curved downward, to deliver strikes accurately and with the best use of the gathered momentum. Gramps says the strength of this style comes from the spine and tailbone. He also says it's a good style to use early in training since it helps build internal strength as well as external strength. When I asked what that meant, Gramps said it meant I was training my insides as well as my outsides, making my organs stronger just like my muscles. Its signature weapon is called a Jian**__**, it's a narrow doubled-edged straight sword. Gramps says its speed, precision, and deadly bite perfectly suits Snake's form, and I have to admit the way Gramps used it in his demonstration was awesome, I could barely keep up with it.**_

_**Unfortunately they also seem to think it's time I up my weights again (I'm now at twenty pounds each and it feels like my arms are about to come off after training.) Gramps reminded me (Again) to spend a couple hours every week practicing with the weights turned off so my body can adjust to its newfound strength and speed. **_

_**Grandma also says I'm getting even better with Fūinjutsu so I should be able to start moving on to more advanced seals soon. She even hinted that after I master Snake I'll be able to start learning ninjutsu as well! Don't get me wrong, seals are totally awesome, but they can be so boring to learn. (Constantly copying squiggly lines is NOT fun!) Anyway, Father stopped in, which I'm happy about, (I know being a Daimyo is busy work but I wish he had more time for me) He said he was very impressed with my work and told me to keep at it. Like I need to be reminded. He said he and I would talk about my inheritance when I mastered Snake. That means only one thing: the ring.**_

_**~~~XXXXX~~~**_

The newest style was even harder to get down than Crane, which was a lot more difficult than Rabbit, but the blonde hoped to have it down enough that by the end of the month he'd be able to delegate it to his clones and move on with his lessons to the next style.

He also had them helping work on his chakra control. He himself had started tree climbing and had managed to meet his goal, getting to the top of the tallest tree near his camp without slipping once, and had now dedicated repeating the exercise to another half-dozen clones. He himself had started on the water walking exercise but it was slow-going.

His clones also made his mental training a lot easier, he'd skim through a book once then he'd assign a clone to read through it again, and then have another clone repeat the process, allowing him to pretty much memorize the book. So far the process had allowed him to memorize most of the survival books he'd bought from the camping shop, a couple of basic Fūinjutsu guides, and a few other books, mostly practical stuff like chakra control theory, which was where he learned the water-walking exercise, but also some books about the history of his clan.

It had been a mostly peaceful time, full of hard work and training, but Naruto found contentment in it. The only real snag had happened about a month after he arrived, when Iruka-sensei had arrived in the village looking for him with a team of other Chūnin: Kotetsu and Izumo, the gate-guards who constantly chased him after his pranks, and…was that Kiba's sister? His clones had alerted him as soon as they arrived and he'd quickly had them withdraw from the village before any of them had a chance to noticed, leaving only a single clone to observe the group with orders to dispel if they even came close to noticing him.

Luckily, the clone was able to stay hidden. Naruto was very glad he never went into town personally and that his clones had no scent on their own, ensuring that there was no scent of him for the ninken they'd brought with them to pick up on. They were there for less than a day before his clone reported them sailing away

The blonde was constantly on edge for a week afterward, worrying that they may double back and find him. While he may have missed Iruka-sensei more than anyone else from Konoha, seeing as the man was apparently the only one not to lie to him about _everything_, he had no intentions of being brought back to Konoha.

He'd send his clones back to the port about once or twice a month to buy supplies. After having his clones stake out the place for a day to make sure no ninja were in he'd finally sent some clones to the weapon shop since most of the weapons he'd gotten from his parent's house were practice ones, the only real weapons were a bunch of three-pronged kunai with some odd seals on them. They seemed really familiar for some reason but hadn't rang any bells, so he sat them aside for later study when he got a better grasp of seals. Unfortunately the weapons shop was as poorly stocked as he suspected, featuring only basic weapons like swords, clubs, spears, and bows; none of the specialty weapons he needed to practice with. Until he could find a real supplier he'd be better off with just his kunai and shuriken. Luckily he had plenty to spare, having found a major stockpile in his parent's home, all of a far superior quality than the junk he'd been forced to use before.

So with the weapon shop out, his clones mostly bought a few greens and stuff from the grocers to help balance his diet, now that he could afford the stuff without going completely broke, and a couple of ramen cups for a treat on special occasions.

*_Sigh_*, "I'm really starting to start missing Ichiraku's." muttered the blonde as he went through another kata for Snake style, spinning, twirling, and striking with the practice Jian in hand. Just a little more and he'd have the basics covered and be able to move on to the next style, and more of his mother's diary.

"Boss!" two voices shouted from behind the blonde. He quickly stopped spinning his practice weapon, resting it easily against his shoulder, before turning to face the callers and recognizing them as two of his clones, one he sent to monitor Gatō's place and the other monitoring the village. He didn't know how he could tell his clones apart, but he could. Naruto had quickly summed it up as another odd fact about his weirdest, and favorite, technique.

As soon as they noticed they had their creator's attention the clones burst, sending their memories directly to Naruto, who absorbed both sets of memories with a grimace before cursing.

"Damn it all!" Gatō had hired ninja, and the headbands indicated they were nuke-nin from Kiri. This was not good. To make matters worse one of the villagers had snuck out, looking to hire ninja to help save them from Gatō.

"Double Damn!" cursed the blonde again as things seemingly went from bad to worse.

"Are we going to have to leave boss?" questioned a clone that was training nearby, practicing with a pair of training war fans using Crane style.

Naruto thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Not yet. There's just as much risk we'll get caught by either force if we try to leave. Our best bet is to hunker down and build up our defenses. We've got enough stock-piled to keep up from having to head to the mainland for a couple months?"

The clone seemed to think for a moment before nodding. "I think so boss, as long as the fish hold out we shouldn't be hurting for food. Dinner time might start getting a little dull though."

"I can deal with a few weeks of boring meals." responded Naruto with a nod. "Send a message to the patrol squads, have them increase the traps around camp and tighten the perimeter, I also want the clones watching the village and Gatō's place to be on high alert. Do not get caught!" ordered the blonde.

"And the ninja Gatō hired, or the ones the villagers are trying to bring in?" questioned the clone

"Avoid them at all costs. Especially if I'm right about who the villagers are bringing in."

"What do you mean boss?"

"The closest village from here is either Konoha or Kiri, meaning there's a very good chance we could be seeing some familiar faces soon. Faces I don't want seeing us." stated the blonde with a growl of distaste.

The clone quickly saluted before popping, relaying the orders to its remaining brothers.

"I should probably increase both the watchers on the village and the patrol squads too, maybe boost the number of training clones as well." muttered the blonde to himself, before his eyes fell to the ring resting on his finger. "I should also try to find out more about you as well my little friend, I may just need your power sooner than I thought." muttered the blonde silently.

So far the blonde had only lightly experimented with the Kōriwa's power. He could freeze up to a large pond with barely a thought and a small lake with a moment's concentration. He could create and launch small ice projectiles with a moment's effort, but they were still too fragile for effective use in combat, he needed better control and more experience with the ring to make them more solid. It was still better than when he first tried to use the ring, he could barely freeze a small puddle then and only made slush when he tried to create ice from nothing. The cold field had worked well though, creating a field of snow and frost for several feet around him, but his mother's diary had said that, while strong, it was difficult to control and shape without practice.

'_Mom's diary's only mentioned the ring a couple times before, but it looks like after I master Snake I'll be able to learn more about it.'_ thought the blonde as he returned to his kata, more determined than ever to master Snake as quickly as possible.

As he returned to training he didn't notice the ring pulse with pale blue light, as if eager to be used again.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Several Days Later, Naruto's Refuge)_

Naruto awoke early this morning, yesterday he'd completed his goals for mastering Snake and had headed to bed early to get an early start on training the next day, hopefully now he'd learn more about his family's greatest legacy: the rings.

The blonde quickly got dressed in what was becoming his typical attire: a set of black ninja sandals, loose black Chinese pants, which were ironically called mandarin pants or kuzi, with dark blue tidal markings going up the legs, a dark blue and black sleeveless majia, also with tidal markings, with a small red spiral over his right breast and a larger one near the center of the back over a mesh shirt, and fingerless black leather gloves. He'd even started growing his hair out in the back and now sported a short, spiky ponytail. Looking at himself, he couldn't help but smile. The constant training was doing his body good, the muscles along his arms were now slightly larger, as were those along his legs, his formerly scrawny frame had filled out considerably with his new, more balanced diet, and he'd even grown a couple inches.

Deciding to go for an early jog to wake himself up before breakfast and practice, the blonde headed out. The villagers mostly avoided coming to this side of the island out of fear of getting too close to Gatō's domain, while said crime-boss's thugs avoided the place like the plague, believing it to be haunted or cursed. That brilliant idea was thanks to Naruto's clones and some his more nefarious pranks/traps. It's amazing how quickly mercenaries will scream "GHOST!" when they uncover a floating blanket and find nothing but a bit of smoke underneath. And how said screams sounded so much like those of little girls.

Anyway, Naruto left for his jog, passing the few clones he'd made that were in charge of camp maintenance and protection, he'd make today's batch of training clones when he got back. He'd need an extra half-dozen to have them start studying Snake. He also needed to get a group started on trying to combine the three he'd already learned into an effective fighting style, which mom's diary said was would make them much more effective than used separately. Right now the blonde could already start to see how each one fit into the next, but the idea was still vague and blurry. Training would help make it clearer, he was sure of it.

As he was passing a small lake-side clearing along his jogging path, he stopped suddenly, hearing the sound of movement nearby and coming closer. Acting on instinct he leaped into a nearby tree and waited, hunkering down to mask his presence and slowing his breathing to be less noticeable.

Only for his breath to be stolen by the vision he saw before him.

It was a girl, dressed in a pale pink, short kimono with plum spiral designs, she was tall and narrowly framed, but the blonde could still see the slightest hint of feminine curves beneath her kimono. But it wasn't her looks that stole his breath, though she was quite pretty, but her movements.

Her steps were light, graceful; every action seemingly flowing into the next like a beautiful dance. Her long, dark black hair flowing around her like a shawl with the slightest of movements. He watched, half-mesmerized, as she leaned down near the lake, gathering small amounts of moss from the stones surrounding it and placing them into a basket she carried at her side.

'_Dear Kami, how can someone gather moss with such grace?'_ he absently asked himself as he watched her gather plants for another fifteen minutes, eyes never wavering from her form. He'd seen a lot of women who could be described as beautiful growing up in Konoha, after all there was rarely such a thing as an ugly kunoichi, but this…creature entranced him in a way none of them ever had. Even his crush on Sakura now seemed a distant memory. He slowly readjusted himself in his hiding spot, trying to get a better look.

Instantly she spun around, her eyes darting around, and he knew she had heard his movement, as slight as it was.

"Who's there." her voice was soft, but also deep and warm. Naruto noticed a trio of senbon gripped in her hand as she readjusted herself. Whoever she was, she'd obviously had shinobi training.

Naruto remained silent and still in his hiding spot, not daring to even breathe. He held his breath, praying she would simply continue gathering plants. He almost called out to her as she grabbed her basket, sliding the senbon back up her sleeve, and left the clearing. Instead he simply bit his tongue and watched her leave.

He stayed in his hiding spot for another ten minutes; half fearing and half hoping she'd come back, before leaving the clearing to return to his jog.

_**~~~XXXXX~~~**_

Naruto returned to camp less than an hour later, the mysterious girl still on his mind. Even as he ate a breakfast of rice and fish porridge mixed in with berries from the forest he couldn't get her off his mind and he wasn't sure why. He absently finished his meal placing the dishes aside for one of the maintenance clones to wash and store later before grabbing his mother's diary, hoping that studying would help clear his mind.

_**~~~XXXXX~~~**_

_**Today has been the awesomest (I know it's not a real word but who cares?) birthday ever! I'm now thirteen and mom says that means I officially take my place as heiress of the Uzumaki clan and future Daimyo of Uzu and Head of Uzushio. **_

_**Like I said yesterday, I've finally finished Snake and am going to start studying the next form, Mantis, soon, but Mom, Gramps, and Grandma said it would be a week or two since I'll be studying under Father for a time. Mom made me my favorite lunch and we all ate together before they sent me off to meet with Father, who was waiting for me on the cliff-side behind the estate. I was really surprised by that, he hardly ever has time away from the palace (Running both Uzu no Kuni and Uzushiogakure isn't easy, I understand that, but I still miss him) and to hear he was taking two weeks off just to train me was both exciting and confusing.**_

_**Anyway I met him on the cliffs behind the estate where he was staring off into the whirling tides that give our homeland its name. What surprised me most was the he wasn't dressed in his formal Daimyo attire, but rather in his old jounin uniform. He looked at me seriously for a minute and said in a really formal, regal manner, "Kushina, my daughter, you have reached 13 , the age when those who will one day lead both Uzu and Uzushio are named and our clan's greatest treasure is passed on." Then he bent down and hugged me tighter than he's ever done before, before saying "I'm very proud of you my little girl." Father's always been so formal, and he hasn't called me that since I was three. He stared at me for a moment before turning back to the cliffside and motioning for me to join him. **_

_**We just stood there, staring at the crashing waves for a moment before he raised his left hand, the Kōriwa, the Ring of Ice, resting on his pinky and glowing brightly. With a wave of his hand all the water along the coast froze into a massive sheet of ice. I was stunned (Who wouldn't be? It had to be close to ten square miles of water frozen solid with just a wave of his hand!) With another gesture, a slight raising of his hand, several sections of the frozen water rose into the sky and transformed into a half-dozen ten-story tall ice dragons who landed around us and started bowing to Father before he shattered them with another wave of his hand. It was probably the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I'm still having trouble believing it. Then Father started talking and my world was officially blown. **_

"_**This is barely a fraction of the power our ancestor, the Mandarin, once held." he said like what he just did was no big deal. "This is but a sample of what he could do with the barest of efforts. We of the Uzumaki are his only descendants, the only heirs to this unimaginable power. One day we will find a way to retrieve the other nine rings and the world will remember our family's power. Until then the Kōriwa is the symbol of our clan, its power and its future destiny. It is also the symbol that shows one will lead the Uzumaki and all of Uzu itself one day. And so I pass it on to you my child, wield it well and bring glory to our family." With that he slipped the ring off his finger and put in on mine. **_

_**I was finally able to find my voice after that. "But Father, don't you need its power?" (I know it was kind of lame but my mind had just been blown, cut me some slack.) **_

_**He gave me that insufferable smile (The one parents, or at least mine, get when they know something you don't) and waved his hand again, and a small ice sculpture of me appeared in his hand. Then he said "Just because I no longer wear the ring does not mean I have lost all its power. After a time, a bit of Kōriwa's power will bleed into its wearer, allowing us a fraction of its strength even after it leaves us for the next heir. It's not as much as with the ring but I'm strong enough on my own to carry on while you master it."**_

_**After that he told me to rest well tonight because tomorrow he'd start training me to use the ring, before leading me in to the party where everyone was waiting. I can't wait for tomorrow to come! **_

_**I've got a new dream now to, I'll find the other nine no matter what it takes and show the world what the Uzumaki are made of!**_

_**~~~XXXXX~~~**_

"Whoa." breathed out Naruto, just as amazed as his mother once was at the full power of the Kōriwa when he fully mastered it. He continued to read, gathering all he could on his mother's training with the Ring of Ice, they mystery girl momentarily banished from his mind, but not forgotten. Training would be intense in the days to come.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(A Few Days Later, Naruto's Refuge)_

Several days would pass and Naruto would become entranced by his training with the Kōriwa, learning how to utilize and control the tremendous power hidden within it. Still, in his few idle moments, his mind would often wandered to the dark-haired girl he'd seen. He'd started visiting the clearing every day on his morning jog just to see if he'd see her again.

"Boss!" a clone's shout interrupted his meditation. It seemed that meditation was a big part of trying to unlock and control the ring's power. According to his mother's journal and his grandfather's teachings, the rings were semi-sentient and linked to their wearer's consciousness. The greater the link, the stronger the power they could unleash. Meditation helped control and strengthen that link.

Naruto looked up at the clone. It was a member of one of his patrol squads. "What's up?" he asked curiously.

"A couple of traps have been tripped by the south beach. You wanted us to tell you if it looked like anyone was snooping around."

Naruto nodded, he wanted to be aware of everything going on around his base. The blonde stood and stretched for a moment. "Good work, go back to your patrol and keep your eyes open, I'm going to check this out myself. Have the guards on high alert until I get back."

"Why not just send a couple of clones boss?"

"Because we don't know who or what's out there. If it's dangerous or a trap it could dispel you guys and alert whoever it is that a ninja's nearby. If I go I can at least play the part of the clueless wanderer." answered the blonde as he shrugged on his bow and arrow. "Besides I needed to stretch my legs, and if we get lucky maybe I'll be able to score us some fresh meat. I'm getting sick of fish." Game was getting scarcer than usual lately, and with his clones unable to get to the mainland without risking alerting Gatō's ninja or the one's that the bridge-builder was bringing so he was stuck with nothing but fish, the ton of rice he had stored in his scrolls, and whatever herbs and berries his clones could scrounge up out of the forest for flavor.

He blamed Gatō, his thugs had been overhunting the forest and a couple were doing nothing more than slaughtering the animals for fun and letting the meat go to waste. If he ever found the ones responsible for that, they'd pay…big time! No one wasted good food while he was forced to survive on fish and rice!

"If you say so boss. Good hunting." agreed the clone as it left to go back to his patrols.

_**~~~XXXXX~~~**_

"Hello dinner." whispered a grinning Naruto as he eyed the plump little white rabbit standing in the grass. The little fellow must have gnawed through the rope acting as his trap's spring, causing it to go off. Oh well, at least he'd have fresh rabbit for supper tonight.

As he drew back his bow and took aim he suddenly felt the cold press of a steel blade against his throat. A voice that had been haunting his dreams rose up softly from behind him.

"Do you happen to have a reason for trying to kill one of my rabbits?" asked the voice softly

Naruto slowly relaxed the bowstring while letting the arrow fall to the ground, making sure his actions were slow and nonthreatening. "Didn't know it belonged to anyone sis." answered the blonde, surprising himself with how casual and steady his voice sounded.

"Are you from the village?" questioned the voice from behind him.

"Nope, just a traveler passing through." answered the blonde calmly. "Tend to avoid villages and the like unless I need supplies. Not much of a people person I guess."

The blade held against his throat pressed slightly harder, but the blonde made sure to show no outward signs of fear. "Look sis, I'm sorry about your rabbit, but I was hunting for some grub, game's been scarce here lately." apologized the blonde calmly.

The pressure lightened somewhat, before receding as the girl removed the kunai from his throat before walking around to face him, the weapon still in hand. He knew it was her. She was dressed differently though, now wearing a moss green, striped turtle-neck sweater, a split skirt in matching color that reached down to her knees, and a short blue battle kimono with white edges and tied off with a green obi. Her hair was gathered into a tight, covered bun with two locks framing her face, which was covered in an odd mask marked with the Kiri symbol.

Naruto gave the revealed girl a slight bow. "Like I said ninja-san, sorry about your rabbit." he offered again, a bit more formally. He wished she'd take off the mask, he knew it was her. She had the same voice, the same build, even the same scent. _'Like fresh snow, herbs, and jasmine.'_ he absently thought to himself as he watched her.

"Where are you staying." the kunoichi asked quietly as she studied him.

"Abandoned shack on the west beach." answered the blonde calmly with a shrug.

"Show me." she ordered, before walking toward the rabbit, petting it lightly before it poofed away in a puff of smoke.

"What the he…" muttered the blonde.

"One of my summons." cut in the girl, before she directed her masked gaze back on him. "Now start walking."

The blonde gave another shrug in response before he did as requested, knowing full well she was right behind him. He sure hoped he read her right when he thought she wouldn't stab him in the back. After all, she could have done that when she first caught him. Right?

_**~~~XXXXX~~~**_

"Red Alert!" shouted a clone as he raced for the camp.

"What's going on?" asked another clone.

"Boss is on the way with another ninja. He gave the sign for the majority of us to disperse while the guard squads take the stuff and keep watch." answered the first clone.

The clones instantly went into a flurry of activity, their creator already having planned this out. Most started covering the appearance of the camp before dispelling, while a small group began gathering Naruto's training supplies, the stuff from his house, and the other important items while leaving out only the necessities for survival before taking hiding positions in the woods to keep an eye on the situation in case the boss needed help. In a matter of moments there was nothing but an abandoned shack, a small cook-fire, and some clothes, food, and other nondescript supplies.

The remaining clones set themselves up around the camp, waiting and watching until needed or ordered to move.

_**~~~XXXXX~~~**_

The clones couldn't have finished a moment too soon because just seconds after the last wisp of smoke from the dispelling clones cleared, Naruto and his 'companion' arrived.

"Welcome to my temporary home. Be it ever so humble and all that crap." offered Naruto as he gestured to the small shack and beach. "All I want is to be left to myself. I've already been here for nearly a full season and you're probably the first person to know I'm here." It wasn't a total lie; he had been there for nearly a season and had never left, his clones on the other hand….

"How'd you arrive on this island if you never came through the village?" questioned the ninja as she began to look around.

"Caught a ride off a small motorboat, didn't need to go to port so I got dropped off here." Again not technically a lie, but he didn't think it prudent to let her know the boat was his.

"You live alone?"

"Just me, myself and I." answered the blonde, which was technically true. Though there was usually a lot more than three of him.

He continued to watch her as she looked around the camp. Even now he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the fluid grave of her movements. When he came back to reality he caught her studying the ground. Deciding to offer some explanation and break the silence he offered. "I cleared off most of the ground so I could have some place to work out, running and such. Not a lot else to do in a place like this. Took an ass-load of work though." Again true, but it was his clone's work and not his own.

He watched her pick up a kunai that was sitting next to the cook fire.

"That's mine." he offered quickly before explaining. "Well to be technically honest it belongs to some jackass gate-guard at one of the villages. Bastard threw it at me and I decided to keep it."

She looked at him over her shoulder. "Are you always this…chatty?" she asked calmly, though he thought he could hear a trace of a smirk in her voice.

"Kinda," answered the blonde with a shrug. "But I mostly talk to myself lately. Like I said, no one else comes around here and I like to keep to myself." Technically true, he talked to his clones a lot and they were technically him. It was something that would give a psychiatrist nightmares, he was sure of that. "You looking for something in particular?" he finally asked after she finished searching.

She seemed to study him for a moment before reaching up and removing the mask from her face. He smiled seeing her face again; it was just as pretty as before. He stopped smiling when she asked, "Why were you watching me several days ago?" her voice carried no accusations, simply asking a question about a known fact.

Naruto gulped audibly. _'Okay genius, how do you answer this one?'_

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**END CHAPTER 3**

**Alright a few announcements:**

**The pairing will be NaruHarem, but I haven't decided on the harem's contents just yet and the main pairing focus will be NaruHaku.**

**2) I know my poll said my next fic was going to be a non-Naruto one, but I've had this idea on the backburner for a while and I finally got permission to give it a try, so I decided to start right away. Since it's majorly different from the format of my other stories it should still keep the main purpose, which was to eliminate repetitive writing.**

**3) Yes, Naruto is crushing on Haku. I know some of you don't believe in love at first sight, but I do. Sometimes you see a person and it's just 'Whoa! Where have you been all my life?' It's happened to me before, how I met my first real girlfriend in high school actually. Doesn't mean it always works out or makes it easy, just ask said ex-girlfriend, but it's something to start from.**

**'Til Next Time**

**READ AND REVIEW**


	4. Growing Feelings, Rising Danger

_Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings_

**Review Response**

_**To everyone else who read and reviewed thank you for your time and attention**_

"Normal Speech"

'_Normal Thought'_

"**Demon/Large Summon Speech"**

'_**Demon/Large Summon Thought' **_

**Jutsu**, _Kung Fu Technique,_ _Ring Power_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or even the original idea for this story. All I own is any of my original ideas. **

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**Chapter 4: Growing Feelings, Rising Danger**

"Um…"stalled Naruto, trying to think of something. '_I really need to learn how to talk to girls.'_ he thought absently before he noticed she was smiling slightly. Deciding to just go for the truth he started scratching the back of his head. "I guess you caught me."

She raised a delicate eyebrow at him.

"Technically though, you _were_ trespassing in my territory." added the blonde defensively.

She just continued to stare at him, a small smirk still showing itself on her soft lips.

"So…" he started absently, trying to break the silence. "Do you have a name or should I just call you beautiful?" he offered with a bashful smile, scratching his cheek, a slight tint of pink on his cheeks

Finally he got a reaction, a slight flush to her cheeks. "I'm a boy." she responded almost automatically.

Naruto snorted. "I call bull crap on that. Your scent is definitely female and trust me, my nose knows." It was true, either due to Kyūbi or some other factor Naruto's senses were far above any normal person's. He was no Inuzuka bloodhound, but he still had naturally sharper senses of hearing, smell, and sight than nearly anyone else he knew other than Kiba, and that was only in smelling and hearing. "Besides no boy can be that pretty." he added as an afterthought before taking a step back as her hand instinctively went to the kunai she'd had at his throat in the forest.

She was silent and tense for several moments. She looked like she was trying to decide on something before sighing. "Haku, you may call me Haku."

"'Pure white' huh?" he asked, translating her name. "A beautiful name, fitting for an equally beautiful girl." he offered with a cheesy grin, before turning and grabbing a couple of fish the clones had left hanging by his shack. He quickly started preparing them, getting them ready for cooking.

"If you already had fish, why were you out hunting?" questioned Haku. Naruto noticed she kept a constant distance from him.

"I was getting sick of fish, and I wasn't out hunting." stated the blonde calmly as he continued to prepare the fish. "I set a few basic traps around my camp to let me know if anyone came snooping. You're the one who tripped them I take it? Why?" he finished while sticking them over the fire.

"It seemed to be the easiest way to draw you out." answered Haku. "I started noticing them after our encounter and wanted to find out just who you were and why you were here."

Naruto nodded, it made sense. "You hungry? I've got plenty of fish and foods always better with company." he offered.

"I thought you said you didn't like people?" asked Haku.

"No, I said I wasn't a people person. I like individuals just fine, but large groups tend to annoy me." answered the blonde with a shrug before he headed into the shack to get some spices and seasonings for the fish, as well as some greens to go with it. He kept a small supply of ground and dried herbs from the forest as well as a few containers of salt and pepper from the mainland. If she asked he could just say he brought them with him, which was partially true.

Haku continued to watch in silence as continued to prepare the fish now cooking over the fire before adding the greens, then preparing the plates for when the food was ready. He didn't bother with utensils, this stuff was fine as finger food, and he could use the kunai he kept by the fire pit to slice the cooked food into smaller portions. He still disliked the taste of vegetable, but his mother's journal had emphasized a balanced diet and he had tried his best to follow it.

'_Still doesn't mean I have to like them.'_ thought the blonde absently as he continued his preparations. _'Sigh. I really miss Ichiraku's.'_

As he finished the blonde sat on a log several clones had moved and half-buried in the ground near the pit, with several stones sitting across from it acting as chairs. He motioned across the pit for her to sit.

She looked at him hesitantly for a moment before sitting on a stone across from him. "You're not afraid of me?" she asked curiously. She just had him by the throat a short time ago, any normal person would be scared and trying to get as far away from her as possible, not offering her dinner.

Naruto looked up from where he was finishing preparing the food. "If you were going to kill me, you'd have slit my throat with that kunai of yours when we first met." answered the blonde as he began putting the fish and veggies onto the plates before slicing them into smaller pieces. "You want to know what a guy like me is doing out here on my own?" he asked quietly as he passed her the plate.

"You never answered my last question." she responded calmly as she took the plate.

The blonde shrugged as he picked up his own plate. "I was out for a morning jog and I heard someone coming. The midget with the overcompensating estate has a lot of nasty folks running around so I hid and watched. I wasn't expecting a pretty girl to come out and start picking herbs."

"You hid very well, as good as many shinobi I've seen." Haku stated accusingly.

"I'm no ninja." snorted the blonde. "If you really want to know, I attended my home village's academy. Failed three times before deciding enough was enough and left since no one seemed to care." he shrugged his shoulders. "The villagers despised me, most wanted me dead, a few even tried to do the deed themselves. I was sick of it; the abuse, the glares, being overcharged for everything and anything, being lied to by the people I thought I could trust..." The blonde caught himself mid-rant and took a deep, calming breath before continuing. "I finally had enough and decided to just call it quits. I left and found I preferred living on my own in the woods. It's quieter and I don't have to worry about someone trying to sneak in and kill me in my sleep."

"You had a home?" there was something new in her voice at that question.

"A three-room apartment in a mostly abandoned building." answered the blonde before his voice dropped. "No one wanted to live near the demon brat."

"Family?" asked Haku, again there was something in her voice. Longing maybe.

"Orphan, mom and dad died the day I was born and no one else wanted to have anything to do with me." stated the blonde lowly. "I can probably count on one hand the number of people who treated me anywhere close to nicely. The final straw was finding out one of them had been lying to me my entire life."

Haku twitched at that, the words seemingly touching something inside her. They sat and ate in silence for several minutes before Naruto decided to break the silence again. "So Haku-chan, what's a shinobi like you doing in this backwater stretch of the woods? You working for the midget in the mansion or the villagers?"

Haku was silent for a moment before she tilted her head slightly and answered. "My master and I work for Gatō; he has hired us to eliminate the bridge-builder." She watched silently as her companion started shaking his head.

"I thought the little snob had enough mercenaries, hiring shinobi to take out a single man, a civilian no less, seems like overkill to me." stated the blonde calmly.

"You do not seem fond of Gatō?" questioned Haku.

"His mercs are killing all of my game; of course I'm not fond of him. Besides you can't say you actually approve of what he's doing here?" responded the blonde.

"It is not our job as shinobi to judge, merely to complete our contract." answered Haku, to which Naruto just shrugged, accepting her point. _'Zabuza-sama has already left in hopes of finding the target. He mentioned hiring a couple of former contacts from Kiri to actively search for him while he patrolled the mainland's shores. I am to await further orders.'_

She suddenly realized he'd asked her something while she was thinking. "I'm sorry, what was that?" she apologized.

"I asked if you were going to tell your boss I'm out here." responded Naruto as he continued eating his fish.

"I…" she started before stopping, after a moment she continued. "I honestly haven't decided yet."

Naruto nodded but mentally smiled before returning to his food. Haku continued eating for a moment before commenting. "This is quite good."

"Thanks." stated the blonde with a grin. "I've gotten a pretty good idea about how all the herbs and spices around here taste, and how to mix them to get the best flavor." stated the blonde proudly. It took a bit of trial and error, but it was worth it in the end.

Haku nodded before broaching another subject. "So you said you failed the Academy in your village?"

"Three times." agreed the blonde with a slight glower. "I couldn't get the damn final part down. I…" he blushed slightly and looked out toward sea where the sun was just starting to set. "I couldn't create a single Bunshin. I recently started trying to figure out why though, seems I always overloaded them. I've got unusually large reserves."

Haku blinked slightly at that. "What are the exams like in your village?"

Naruto shrugged. "It pretty much covers all the basics. There's a written test, god I hated those the most. Then there was kunai and shuriken throwing, taijutsu sparring, and a final focusing on ninjutsu. You had to perform the _Bunshin_ (Clone), _Henge_ (Transformation), and _Kawarimi_ (Body Substitution) techniques in order to pass. Mess one up and you fail automatically. I was pretty good at Henge and had Kawarimi down pat, but like I said I could never do a simple Bunshin." stated the blonde gruffly, still disappointed about that.

Haku watched him as he stood up and put his plate in a bucket of water and began washing it and his hands clean. He turned to her and asked, "You done?"

She looked down and was surprised to find her plate empty. She nodded before passing the plate to him. She hadn't realized she'd eaten while they spoke. It was…oddly comforting to talk to someone so easily.

Looking toward the setting sun, she turned to face Naruto. "I need to go." she stated softly as she reached for her mask. She stared at him for a moment before slipping the mask back on. "Don't go near Gatō's mansion or the village and stay hidden, and I won't tell anyone that you're here. Agreed?" she asked softly.

Naruto nodded and smiled at her. "I appreciate it Haku-chan, and I'll keep my word. You're welcome back anytime you want." he added softly at the end.

Haku blushed under her mask as she quickly turned to leave before she realized something. "You never told me your name." she stated softly.

Naruto looked perplexed for a moment before chuckling. "Guess I didn't. Sorry about that, my manners must have gone missing with no one else to talk to. The name is Naruto Uzumaki, and it was a pleasure meeting you Haku-chan."

Haku looked at him strangely. "'Maelstrom of the whirlpool' an odd name, but it fits." she stated lightly to herself before turning to leave again. "I'll be back, but don't come near the other side of the island."

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

Naruto continued to sit there and smile, watching the way she left.

"Boss?" questioned one of the clones as they started to emerge from their hiding positions.

"Haku." he muttered softly to himself, seemingly dead to the world. "Pretty name for a very pretty girl."

"Boss?" questioned a now scared clone, waving a hand in front of his face. "By the Kami boss, snap out of it!"

"Hm." the blonde suddenly looked up, blinking slowly. "You guys say something?"

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Back in Konoha, Same Time)_

For some reason Kakashi felt a sudden surge of pride. He didn't know why but it distracted him enough that he bumped into Gai.

"KAKASHI! MY ETERNAL RIVAL AND YOUR HIP COOL ATTITUDE!"

Kakashi blinked slowly. "Hm? You say something Gai?"

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Back to Naruto)_

The clones had put Naruto's things back in the shack while Naruto himself continued to stare at the fire, lost in thought.

Absently the blonde twisted the Kōriwa resting on his pinky, not even realizing what he was doing as Haku danced in his mind until he felt something cold resting in his hand. Looking down the blonde stared at the perfectly sculpted ice rose now resting in his hand.

"Whoa." breathed out the blonde, even with the amount of training he'd put into learning how to master the ring, he hadn't been able to create anything close to this detailed yet.

"That's awesome boss." stated a clone as it came in to look at what its creator had made. "How'd you do it?"

Naruto just started at the ice rose for a moment before answering. "I have absolutely no idea." stated the confused blonde as he experimentally held the ice rose over the fire. To his surprise the rose didn't even start to melt, remaining whole even as he shoved the head fully into the flames. "Now that is odd." muttered the blonde as he sat the rose next to him before he reached out and grabbed his mother's journal from where the clones had left it and began leafing through the pages, looking for a particular section.

When his mother had made it her goal to find all ten of the rings she had started gathering as much information on them as she could, and had put it all in a special section of her diary. The blonde had skimmed through that section before, but had found the entire thing indecipherable, like it was written in some kind of code. A note his mother had left him on the first page, seemingly written shortly before her death, had said that there was a seal on it to keep anyone else from learning more about the rings. Information would be revealed only in the presence of the ring's energy signature, something her clan had found out how to isolate and replicate shortly before finishing the locater pendent. Supposedly, it was another layer of security to help protect her family's greatest secret.

The blonde quickly flipped to the section on the Kōriwa and placed his left hand over the page, channeling his rings power directly into the paper. Instantly several lines of text began to blur, reshaping themselves into words that the blonde could easily understand. There were still some lines that were still illegible. _'They must need either another ring or maybe the pendent__to activate.' _thought the blonde absently as he began studying the new writing.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_**The Kōriwa is one of the most diversely powerful of the Mandarin no Towa (Ten Rings of the Mandarin). At its core the ring combines both grace and simplicity into an altogether dangerous whole. Its basic abilities allow it to create both attacks and defenses from pure ice as well as manipulate cryogenic energy and use it as a weapon. The ice forged by the ring is supernaturally strong and resistant to heat, allowing it to be used in the harshest of deserts without losing any of its power. It draws water directly from the atmosphere around it, gathering it before freezing it into solid form and manipulating it. The ring itself also protects the user from the cold and all the effects it can bring against them. However its greatest power is its ability to imbue its constructs with a level of sentiency, allowing them to move or act on their own in response to the user's will. **_

_**It is important to remember that, like the other nine rings, the Kōriwa is at least semi-sentient, capable of sensing threats to both itself and its master. It is also able to draw on the user's thoughts and feelings to fuel and detail its creations. **_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

'_So the Kōriwa must have drawn on my thoughts to create the rose?'_ thought Naruto curiously. "You keep getting more and more interesting, don't you my little friend?" he asked the ring resting on his finger, before he redirected his attention back to the rose, picking it up and examining it again. "I wonder if Haku-chan likes roses?" he asked himself softly as he turned his attention back to his mother's journal and the information it held on the Kōriwa.

He didn't notice the ring glow softly, as if responding to his question.

Across the island, a young woman dressed in the mask and clothing of a Kiri hunter-nin sat in a tree, her own mind spinning behind the mask's cold facade.

'_Why aren't I reporting him? Why do I care if the villagers or Gatō's men find him, if he's safe or not?' _she asked herself. All she knew was that there was something familiar about him, something that lessened the icy chill that had frozen her heart long ago. Her cheeks warmed softly behind her mask as her mind turned to the smile he wore while he cooked and they spoke, as if he didn't have a care in the world, even as his eyes glittered with a hidden determination.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Naruto's Refuge, A Week Later)_

A week came and went quickly for the two young shinobi. Naruto continued his training on learning to control the Kōriwa, while using his clones to continue his training in both Fūinjutsu and his clan's taijutsu. Of course with Haku now coming over at random he had moved them to a secondary base he'd found some time after arriving in Wave. It was a small cove and grotto, hidden among the rocks of the north-western shore of the island. His clones had discovered it while they were exploring the island, something Naruto had them do constantly during his first month there. It was small and difficult to find, a perfect hide-away if his current base needed to be evacuated quickly. He'd even had the clones move the boat from its hiding spot in the woods and into the small stretch of water that connected the cove to the ocean in case he needed to make a quick getaway.

He'd send the clones out each morning and having them come back near the end of the evening before dispelling so he could absorb their training. Another thing he'd learned is that the clones memories weren't automatically downloaded directly into his brain unless they dispersed close to him, otherwise he needed to meditate in order to properly absorb them. It was a bit more difficult maintaining the camp without the help of his clones, but Naruto thought it was a price well worth paying for Haku's visits.

Right now Naruto was meditating by the edge of the water near his home, drawing on his connection to the Kōriwa, when he felt someone approaching him from behind. Opening his eyes slowly the blonde turned to find Haku standing by the edge of the woods near his shack.

Naruto smiled as he began to rise to his feet, and was happily surprised when she returned the gesture. For the past week she'd come on a daily basis and they would spend hours simply talking, occasionally sharing a meal. Haku even brought meat a time or two, something the blonde would forever be grateful for. Fish was starting to get really old.

The two had found solace telling each other of their past hardships. Naruto speaking of his life in Konoha, and Haku speaking of hers in Water before Zabuza had found her on the streets and took her in as his apprentice while he fled Kiri.

"Garbage may sound disgusting, but when you're starving you'll be surprised what you're willing to eat." stated the blonde as they shared another meal. Haku had brought some deer meat she'd procured and the two were enjoying the roasted and spiced venison Naruto had prepared. "That was before I turned eight and started the Academy, after that the old man was able to give me an apartment and allowance to live off of. I couldn't afford much, especially with people constantly overcharging me, but it was better than digging through dumpsters."

"The old man…he's the one who betrayed you?" Haku asked softly.

"Yeah." grunted Naruto. "He knew who my parents were for my entire life and lied to me, claiming to have no idea. He even had a letter for me from my mom that he was supposed to give me when I was seven, but didn't. He pretty much spat on her dying wish."

"Do you hate him now?" she asked quietly.

"I…honestly have no idea." answered the blonde sincerely. "I'm angrier at him than I've ever been at anyone in my life and I doubt that I'll ever be able to forgive or trust him again, but I can still remember all of the good things he did for me. Getting me an apartment, my allowance, helping get enrolled in the Academy…" the blonde trailed off, sighing slightly in exasperation.

"What about the others, the people of your homeland?" continued Haku.

"Them?" the blonde was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "I suppose I hate some of them but mostly I just dislike the majority. Hating someone gives them control over you, gives them power over you, and that's something I've never wanted to give them, but their hypocrisy disgusts me." stated the blonde sagely before offering her an apple for desert.

Haku smiled as she accepted the red fruit. "How did they fail you at the Academy?" Haku asked

"The teachers either ignored me completely or actively tried to sabotage me, well except for one. Recently I've been trying to correct some of my deficiencies, a guy's gotta know how to defend himself after all, but I don't think I'll ever be a ninja, at least not a ninja of my home village anyway. For now I'm happy as I am, travelling, training, and meeting interesting people, not to mention a very pretty girl." he added with another cheesy grin.

Haku chuckled softly, Naruto would always compliment her, calling her, 'pretty,' 'beautiful,' and 'graceful.' It was quite nice to be appreciated as a female, even if she thought of herself as a tool, a thought that had been fading with her interactions with Naruto. The two sat in comfortable silence enjoying the sunset before she was forced to leave for the night.

"Boss."

Naruto turned to see one of the clones he'd kept monitoring the woods approach. He'd had them spread out more and be more cautious to avoid alerting Haku.

"Do you think it's a good idea to tell her so much about us boss?" asked the clone quietly.

"I know we can trust her." stated the blonde as he began cleaning up. "If she'd wanted to harm us she could have killed us when we first met or she could have alerted her master of Gatō about our presence, but she hasn't."

"Yet." cut in the clone.

"She's been treated just like us." stated the blonde strongly. "You can see it in the way she talks about her past. It's…nice to have someone to relate to."

"I still don't think it's a good idea to trust her so much." argued the clone.

"I haven't told her about mom's diary, or the jutsu scrolls, or the Kōriwa's powers yet." responded Naruto as he absently fingered the ring. So far all he'd told Haku about the ring was that it was a family heirloom his mother had left him with her letter.

"What about us?" questioned the clone.

"I'm thinking about letting her know about my ability to use Kage Bunshin. It would certainly make things easier." answered Naruto thoughtfully

"Not to mention show us if she can be trusted." added the clone

"She can be, I'm sure of it." stated Naruto confidently.

"Man boss, you're crushing so hard it's not even funny." stated the now grinning clone, before a blushing Naruto dispelled it with a swat to the back of its head.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Naruto's Refuge, Next Morning)_

Haku arrived earlier than usually the next day before stopping at the edge of the woods to watch. She wasn't sure why she was spying on him now, but there was something about the blonde that drew her back to him time and time again and kept her from reporting him. Perhaps it was the pain the two had shared in the past, or the fact that she still had no idea why his people had treated him like they did. Perhaps it was his hauntingly blue eyes that seemed to draw her in…

Shaking her head, she refocused on the present. Zabuza-sama he reported that he hadn't been able to stop the bridge-builder from reaching Hi no Kuni. He'd acquired the services of the Demon Brothers, a pair of weaker Kiri nuke-nin they'd worked with in the past, to keep an eye on the paths leading to and from Konoha and eliminate the bridge-builder if they could while he continued to patrol the coasts. She continued to report nothing of interest was occurring on the interior of the island, but now Gatō was getting impatient for results.

But for now she was simply watching the blonde she'd come to view as her personal secret. Wasn't she surprised when, after using a single, cross-shaped handsign, he created a solid clone and began using it as a sparring partner.

'_That certainly explains how he's been improving so rapidly.'_ thought Haku absently as she watched the two fight. After fifteen minutes of watching a pure taijutsu match, she stepped out of the woods, clapping her hands lightly.

The clone vanished in a puff of smoke while the original, and now sweaty, Naruto turned to her in surprise.

"Uh…morning Haku-chan." he greeted her sheepishly with a hesitant grin.

"Good morning Naruto-kun." she returned. She was now dressed in her civilian attire and had left her mask and the majority of her tools at the hideout, only carrying a few senbon in case of emergencies. "You have a technique to make solid clones?" she asked him calmly, a small smirk visible on her lips.

Naruto continued to grin sheepishly as he started to scratch the back of his head.

'_He can be really cute when he does that.'_ thought Haku absently, before pausing in shock at that thought. _'Wait, why did I just think that? Well it's true anyway…and he and I have been through the same pain…Oh by the Kami, I LIKE him!'_ realized a now shocked and blushing Haku as she stared at the blonde.

Naruto grabbed a towel off of a nearby rock and began wiping the sweat from his workout off. "I…kinda…sorta'…maybe stole it from a scroll in my village before I left." he answered her sheepishly. _'Which is true, if you simply look at the facts.'_ thought the blonde before he noticed that a now blushing Haku was staring at him. _'Is she checking me out?'_

Haku meanwhile was having a panic attack. _'This is bad, this is soooo bad. Zabuza-sama is going to kill me!'_ Her attention was diverted when she finally noticed she was staring at Naruto, vaguely noticing he was now shirtless and possessed a very lean, muscular build, but her eyes were drawn to the myriad of pale, faded scars that covered his back and chest. Without even thinking she stepped forward and began to trace one along the center of his back.

Naruto was finishing wiping the sweat from his face when he felt her hand gently brush against his back, her skin cool to the touch and forcing him to jump slightly.

"Sorry." stated Haku softly as her fingers traced over the circular scar.

"That was from my fifth birthday, bastard stabbed me in the back with a broken bottle." he answered the unasked question, his voice softer as he revisited old pains. It wasn't a common occurrence, but every once in a while someone would get drunk or stupid enough to try something. His birthday, the Kyūbi Festival, was a particularly popular time for such occurrences. The Anbu usually stopped them in time, but not always. "My family's bloodline makes it so I heal quicker than normal, but it doesn't get rid of the scars."

Her hand rose up to trace one along his shoulder.

"My seventh birthday." Naruto answered his voice still soft, "I thought…I thought that a couple was actually treating me kindly. They still acted nice even when he swung a claw hammer at me."

Her hand moved again as he turned to face her, now tracing a set of scars along his ribs.

"My tenth birthday." he stated as her hand gently grazed over the rough scars. "I was dragged around by a horse that a villager tied me to. Bastard even tried to convince the old man I tried to steal it."

Her hand rose up, now tracing the whisker-like markings he bore on each cheek.

"The day I was born." he whispered, his voice even softer than before. Her touch was as light and soft as a feather's caress. He'd never been touched like this before, never felt such unrefined affection. "The day my father sealed Kyūbi no Yōko into me to protect Konoha, wishing for me to be seen as a hero for stopping it, and the first day they called for my death."

Her eyes locked into his, her hands now cupping his face and guiding him to look directly at her. He felt his breath hitch as he stared into her deep brown eyes.

"Now you know." he whispered, fear finally showing in his voice. "You're the first person I've ever told, the first I've ever shared my darkest secret with that didn't already know."

She stared into his eyes, seeing the fear and sorrow reflected there. This past week had been something special for the both of them, finding a kindred spirit, one who shared their pain. From the beginning she'd felt strangely connected to him, and with her own revelation about her feelings toward him, she felt something awaken that she had thought died many years ago.

Making her decision, she locked her eyes with his before leaning in; whispering his name as their lips gently came together.

Naruto's eyes widened as her lips touched his, before closing as the soft warmth of her lips filled his body with a pleasure unlike anything he'd felt before.

After a moment, which felt like an hour to the two teens, Haku pulled away, ending the kiss. She stared into his eyes, her eyes now reflecting the fear that were held in his. Before he could speak she spoke softly. "You are not the Kyūbi. The ones believe otherwise are fools, just like those who seek to destroy the kekkai genkai within Kiri for being unnatural."

He felt her hands move away from his cheeks, one moving to twine itself behind his neck to pull him into a soft embrace, while the other caressed his hair. No one had ever touched him like this, had ever made him feel like this. His crush on Sakura now seemed like a candle-flame compared to the bonfire Haku made him feel. The old man had only patted his head.

'_Like a good dog.'_ he thought bitterly as he leaned into Haku's embrace. _'Old man Ichiraku was always friendly, Iruka occasionally ruffled my hair or pat me on the shoulder, and Ayame would even give me a one-armed hug sometimes, but nothing ever compared to Haku's hug or that kiss…the kiss.' _he smiled at her softly and she returned it before they leaned in and shared another kiss, this one longer and more firm than the last, as the two expressed their feelings for each other.

"I don't know how or why, but you've become so precious to me in just a short time." whispered Haku as she stared into his eyes. Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but found it covered by two of Haku's fingers. "Let me speak, please." she insisted softly.

After Naruto nodded, she continued, never moving her fingers. "Since the day we first met, something has kept me from telling Zabuza-sama about you. I have chosen to be his sword, his tool, since the day he rescued me, and yet for the first time since then I have kept something from him." she looked directly into his eyes and the blonde saw the fear resting there. "I had no idea what caused it. I have made it my purpose in life to aid Zabuza-sama in any and all of his endeavors, but for once I did something solely for myself and it frightened and confused me. But something about you called to me, spoke to me from the moment I saw you watching my rabbit." a small smile gently etched itself across her lips. "Perhaps it was simply your foxy nature that captured my attention."

Naruto smiled against her fingers. The small joke about his burden easing his tension almost as much as the kiss.

"Then as we talked and learned about each other, I was drawn further in. We two are so very similar; both hated, unwanted for the burdens we never asked to carry. Me for the power that flows through my blood, and you for the burden that was bound to you at birth…In such a short amount of time we have forged a connection that scares me. I…"

Naruto gently kissed her fingertips, stopping her as her eyes focused on him once more. Slowly removing her hand and cupping it in both of his, he stared directly into her eyes. "Like you, the moment I saw you I felt something unlike anything I've ever felt before. The way you moved, the grace in your steps, captivated me in ways that no one has ever been able to before. You reminded me of an angel dancing atop the water."

She blushed softly as he continued. "No matter what happens after this, whatever we become. That moment will remain in my heart as one of my most treasured memories."

With that final heartfelt statement both teens leaned in and kissed again, unaware and uncaring of what was to come.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Naruto's Refuge, 1 week later)_

Another week came and passed quickly for the young couple. Naruto was finally making headway in his connection with the ring of ice, his and Haku's confessions seemingly unlocking something in him that allowed him to grow faster than ever before. Maybe it was the fact that he was no longer confused about what Haku meant to him, or fearful of what he meant to her. Maybe it was his new drive to protect her. Whatever the reason he was mastering the rings abilities at a phenomenal rate.

He could now fully draw on at least part of his ring's power. Like his mom's journal had said, imagination was the key, and he spent a portion of each morning practicing how to effectively draw on the ring's power. Walls, platforms, shields, sculptures, all of them could be created with a moment's concentration for defense, and burst of razor-edge ice crystal or masses of crushing ice and snow could be launched to attack with the same effort. The aura of cold was responding to his will, creeping and striking like an invisible viper in response to the blonde's will, waiting to trap his foes in a prison of ice and cold. He was even starting to create ice golems, living ice sculptures that responded to his will. Right now he couldn't make anything larger than himself, but that would improve with time.

He'd also began learning the forth form from his mother's journal; Northern Mantis

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_**Hey so Dad's (I know I used to call him Father, but after two weeks together he's Dad now) back at the capital. Still he promised to visit more often to check in on my training with the Kōriwa, and I'm not going to let him down. I'll miss him but he says we have a duty to uphold and I guess I can understand that. Gramps seemed really annoyed about that, saying our duty is far greater than running a little island, that we are destined to rule, just like our ancestor. Mom would always glare at him when he says stuff like that while Grandma just nods softly. He also mentioned the 'foolish Senju,' but I don't know what he was talking about. The only Senju I know about is Konoha's Senju Clan and they've been our allies for nearly a hundred years.**_

_**Anyway, today Mom and Gramps started teaching me the next form, Northern Mantis (Gramps says there's a Southern Mantis that I'll learn next.) It's a lot like Snake form, relying a lot on whipping the arms around, but using it mostly for defense to deflect or redirect attacks instead of offense, unlike Snake which relies on movement for defense, while relying on fast precise strikes for offense. The movements are very similar to Snake (I should know since Gramps whacks me on the head whenever I accidently fall back into Snake during training. Sadistic old goat.), but it is a lot faster, and uses a lot more continuous attacks than snakes slower, more sinuous strikes. Its weapons are a pair of matched Guǎi (Most people call them Tonfa, but Gramps says Guǎi is their traditional name). Gramps showed me how they're used, rapidly spinning them while he lashed out with his arms, making them nearly as good at blocking as they are at attacking.**_

_**I'm still working on increasing my weights (now I'm at about thirty-five pounds on each limb) Grandma is still working on Fūinjutsu with me and says we'll start ninjutsu training soon. Mom's also started giving me both kunoichi and 'decorum lessons' (GAG! She says I'll need them since I'll be a Daimyo one day, but come on. I'm a kunoichi, not a lady!). Training's getting harder, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm an Uzumaki after all.**_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

His mom was right; Snake and Northern Mantis were very similar, he'd even created a clone to help make sure he was didn't fall back into Sanke. The bastard seemed to take a great deal of pleasure from bashing him with a stick whenever he made a mistake. Stupid sadistic clones.

His evenings, however, belonged to him and Haku alone. The two would spar or train together, Haku significantly helping him with the water walking exercise, before having dinner and watching the sunset, always hand-in-hand, before Haku would leave him with a kiss that got more intense with each passing day. He wasn't sure if relationships were supposed to advance this quickly, but he honestly didn't care.

It was a week later when Haku arrived early, dressed in her hunter-nin uniform. That was never a good sign; Haku hadn't worn it coming here since they'd first met.

"What's wrong?" quickly stopping the pair of shadow clones he'd been sparring with. He hadn't had a problem showing his clones to her after the kiss, telling her the story of how he actually obtained the jutsu had taken most of the next evening. He still hadn't let her know about the Kōriwa's power or his mom's scrolls, but he was sure that that would come soon enough; he just needed the right opportunity.

"Zabuza-sama has returned." explained Haku calmly as she removed her mask. "The Demon Brothers failed to eliminate the bridge-builder before he could hire shinobi. They were able to beat the Demon Brothers and are now on their way here. Zabuza-sama and I are going to be scouting the coast, so we can attack shortly after they land."

Naruto felt his gut clench. "Where are the shinobi from?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Konoha." whispered Haku, knowing what it meant to the blonde. Konoha was the village that betrayed him, that threw him away.

"Do you want me to help?" Konoha had hurt him in many ways, he'd be damned if he let them hurt Haku too.

Haku shook her head. "Zabuza still knows nothing about you, and wouldn't trust you enough from my word alone to let you take part." They were still not sure how they were going to explain their relationship to him when the time came. Hopefully something would come up.

She stepped forward to kiss him gently. "Stay safe and I'll return as soon as I can." she pulled away. "Gatō's been sending his men out farther in their patrols. I think he may suspect something."

Naruto nodded, his own patrols had reported the same thing last night. "Don't worry, I can handle them myself if anything happens. I'm not defenseless you know?" he offered with a sly smile.

Haku smiled softly before she replaced her mask. "Even so, be safe." she offered as she turned to depart.

"You to, my _Yuki Tenshi_ (Snow Angel)." returned the blonde. He'd called her that since their first kiss.

She only nodded as she leapt into the woods, disappearing from sight.

"Boss?" asked one of the sparring clones.

"It's as we feared, Konoha ninja are coming and we don't have a lot of time until they get here." stated Naruto calmly.

"What should we do boss?" asked the other one.

"Start packing the important things. The diary, the scrolls, and the emergency supplies; start moving them to our secondary base camp. Have the patrols and watch groups on high alert and have a couple of them make sure that the boat is ready to launch at a moment's notice."

One of the clones nodded before dispelling, sending the orders to its siblings.

Naruto simply continued to stare after Haku's departed form.

"She'll be fine boss, she's a tough girl. You know that as well as we do." stated the remaining clone.

Naruto nodded before turning to start working with Kōriwa, hoping to further master its power. He still needed to work on creating ice golems; he was taking too long to form them effectively in combat.

However he soon realized just how distracted he was, since all the constructs he made were invariably shaped exactly like Haku. Silently he placed a hand against the pure white face of the statue's face and realized how quickly he was falling for her. He sent a silent prayer to whatever Kami was willing to listen that she would be safe.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

**END CHAPTER 4**

**Don't expect me to post four chapters at once again in the near future. Like I said I'd been hoping to work on this story for some time and just recently got the go-ahead, so the first few chapters I already knew what I wanted to change and what I wanted to keep, so editing, retyping, and modifying didn't take nearly as it should have.**

**One final Note to finish my first publication for this story.**

**A lot of the stuff in this story will be based off of Chinese Martial Arts and culture, at least what vague ideas of it I can get out of the internet.**

**The reason for that deviation from the mostly Japanese focused Naruto is due to the Mandarin's origin as a Chinese Warlord. The idea of Chinese Wushu (or Kung Fu) and all the weapons and stuff it incorporates started germinating in my brain, so I decided to make Naruto's clan Chinese-focused when it came to traditions and fighting style. You'd be surprised on what you find out when you start researching. Like the fact that several Okinawan weapons like the Tonfa and Nunchaku either originated or were used in Chinese Martial Arts as well, or most forms of Chinese Martial Arts include some form of weapons training. Or that the Crane and Elephant sometimes replaces the Rooster or Pig in the Chinese Zodiac**


	5. Crashing Waves

Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings

**Review Response**

**Kyukon**: Thanks for the praise, as for the harem, I have a few broad ideas, but nothing set in stone yet.

**dayfox96**: No, no aliens.

**Psudocode Samurai**: Interesting, but I was looking more for information on Chinese Martial Arts culture rather than the fighting styles themselves.

**Reishin Amara**: I'm forced to agree that **EroSlackerMicha** did go a very…unusual direction with this story near the end, but I believe to be a side-effect of his writer's block on this story rather than a lack of merit on the story itself.

**Redrippeer666**: Sorry, takes it a little time to get started.

**Ragnarok Warrior**: Uh…the reason they're clichés is because they make sense. Even in the original most of the village either hated or ignored him, I don't see a couple crazies trying to kill him as being too far out of line let alone being mistreated going with the pariah. As for Sarutobi, he kept Kyūbi and Naruto's parentage a secret from Naruto for all his life, I don't see how one more lie is any different.

**Batros940**: Don't worry, no clones will be pulling a Pinocchio in my fic, they're just clones.

**Gensuru**: _*Shrugs*_ It was the original authors reasoning and I just decided to roll with it, I can't fix every plothole. And he is going to use it, just not for everything.

**Panther-Strife**: Who's bashing Minato? I'm not, and I don't plan on doing a straight Minato-bash ever. Sure there will be times when Naruto _dislikes_ his father, but I'm never going out of my way to make Minato look like a jerk. Kushina was merely joking about what a goof her husband was, not insulting the guy.

_**To everyone else who read and reviewed thank you for your time and attention**_

"Normal Speech"

'_Normal Thought'_

"**Demon/Large Summon Speech"**

'_**Demon/Large Summon Thought' **_

**Jutsu**, _Kung Fu Technique,_ _Ring Power_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or even the original idea for this story. All I own is any of my original ideas. **

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**Chapter 5: Crashing Waves**

_(Naruto's Refuge, Later that Evening)_

Night had begun to fall and Naruto was beginning to worry. He'd already sent a clone to watch over Haku and Zabuza's hideout, having been shown the way once while Zabuza was still out looking for the bridge-builder, and it had just returned bearing grave news. Haku had returned, physically fine but practically carrying Zabuza who seemed to have been gravely injured.

That did not bode well. Haku had told him how powerful Zabuza was and if even half of what she'd said was true then the man wouldn't have gone down easily, meaning whoever these Konoha-nin were there was at least one heavy-hitter among them.

He'd quickly had his clones watching the village pull back. _'The last thing I need is for a Konoha nin to find me here. I don't know what orders the old man would've given them if they found me, and I don't want to find out!'_ thought the blonde anxiously as he paced the length of the beach near his hideaway.

"Boss!" shouted one of his patrol clones as it approached. Seeing it had its creator's attention it quickly shouted, "A group of Gatō's men are heading straight for us!"

"Damn it!" hissed the blonde, the situation seemed to be going from bad to worse.

"Haku must have sold us out." hissed the approaching clone.

"She did no such thing." Naruto growled back, glaring at the clone, who flinched under its creator's angry scowl. "Have the others gather everything and move it to the secondary base. A group of you stay with me, we're going to see what Gatō's pets are up to and find out how they found us."

The clone quickly dispersed, relaying the orders throughout the other clones. Soon the camp was a flurry of activity as the clones proceeded to strip the camp bare. As he oversaw everything he sent a silent prayer before he leapt into the woods to join the clones waiting for their enemy's arrival. _'Please be safe my tenshi_ (angel)_.' _

Less than a half-hour later, a group of four mercenaries sauntered into the camp. Two were carrying swords and wearing light armor, the third carried a large axe strapped to his back and was wearing heavier armor, while the fourth was dressed in leather armor and had a pair of _kodachi_ (short swords) strapped onto either side of his waist.

"I thought Wang said there was someone out here?" grumbled one of the swordsmen as he looked around the beach.

"There was." stated the leather-clad member, who was kneeling next to the fire pit. "The pit's still warm and there are signs of recent activity around the area." The man was obviously a scout or tracker of some kind.

The other swordsman, who just stepped out of the hut, snorted. "Well it doesn't look like they're here now, or have lived here for a while, the place has been picked clean." he grumbled before he looked to the axe-carrier. "You sure your buddy wasn't wasting our time?"

"Positive." grunted the large man. "Gatō's offered a lot of money to anyone who can bring him some leverage on either Zabuza or his little pet. Wang's a lot of things, but he doesn't joke about money. If he says the bitch is meeting someone here, then she's meeting someone."

"I see." stated a voice from within the woods, before a flurry of senbon caught three of the four men in vital spots. "Thank you for the information."

Haku suddenly appeared on the ground near the forest's edge. She'd headed here shortly after ensuring Zabuza was safe and Gatō wasn't planning on anything, only to find this group heading straight for Naruto's home as well and had followed them hoping to learn more. She began to shake as she realized what she'd just done, she'd killed three men. _'I killed them to protect Naruto.'_ she reminded herself

"You bitch!" shouted the scout, who'd been far enough away from the others to dodge the rain of senbon, as he charged the distracted ice-user, both short swords drawn. Before Haku could move to counter, a shadow appeared over the mercenary and a shout rang through the night.

"_Luò De Hè! _(Falling Crane)" shouted Naruto as he delivered a falling axe-kick directly to the man's skull, fracturing it and killing him in the process.

The blonde straightened up from his strike before rushing toward Haku. "Are you alright Haku-chan?" he asked, wrapping her in his arms. Haku quickly returned the firm embrace, finding solace in his arms.

"You killed him?" she asked quietly.

"Yes." he responded softly.

"To protect me?" she whispered.

"I'd die to protect you." he returned.

Haku merely tightened her embrace. They had both something neither had wanted, but they had done it to protect each other. Both found solace in that fact.

A clone quickly made the two a cup of hot tea, and Naruto decided to break the silence. "Something the matter?" he asked. Haku had been staring at him oddly since she'd calmed down.

Haku removed her mask and gave him a strange look. "You wouldn't happen to have a twin brother by any chance or perhaps a clone that went rogue?" she asked.

That certainly wasn't what the blonde shinobi had been expecting her to ask. "Not that I'm aware of, why?"

"The ninja we encountered with the bridge-builder, they were a genin team. One of them looked exactly like you, except he was wearing a bright orange jumpsuit and was…well extremely loud and obnoxious." answered Haku.

Naruto's eyes widened before narrowing. "Looks like the old man hasn't given up on bringing me back just yet. He's using someone else as a stand-in till they can find me." mused the blonde wondering just what the old goat was thinking, before he returned his attention to his companion. "What did the others look like?"

"The other two genin looked about the same age as you. One was a girl with pink hair and green eyes wearing a red dress with white circular designs. She was quite loud but seemed to have no real combat skills."

"Sakura." stated the blonde emotionlessly, not really caring for his former crush in comparison to Haku.

"The other was a boy with dark eyes and spikey dark black hair and he wore the Uchiha crest on his back. He also seemed quite sure of himself, but froze under Zabuza's killing intent."

"Sasuke." Naruto ground out the name of his Academy rival.

"Their sensei was a tall, silver-haired man who had one eye covered. Your doppelganger seemed to work with him to defeat Zabuza. I interfered and pretended to collect Zabuza's body for disposal."

Naruto nodded. "The jounin sounds like the guy I lost on my way here. It makes sense that he's their team sensei. The old man would probably want to keep this as quiet as possible. Don't know anything about the duplicate though, anything you can tell me about him?"

Haku seemed to think for a minute. "It used a solid clone technique similar to yours, causing a half-dozen of them to appear in a large puff of smoke, but I'm not sure if it was the same technique. However when I approached, it growled at me like a dog, and I could have sworn it muttered something about an odd scent clinging to me."

"Sounds like an Inuzuka, but I can't be sure." grunted the blonde, before he looked at Haku apologetically. "I'm sorry you had to kill my angel, I thought the clone I sent to watch over your hideout would have told you what was happening. "

"It tried, but before it could reach me a branch gave out under it and it was dispelled." she answered quietly. "and I'm sorry you had to kill for me as well.

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat to keep you safe." responded the blonde, his voice full of conviction.

She smiled at him. "And I'd do the same for you." she whispered back to him while gently cupping his cheek.

"What are you going to do now?" asked the blonde after a few moments of silence.

"I need at least a week to get Zabuza-sama back on his feet. Tomorrow I'll need to start gathering medicinal herbs to help speed up his recovery." answered Haku calmly before she noticed the look in Naruto's eyes. "What are you thinking?"

"That I should take you and run." answered the blonde truthfully. "Gatō's planning something, the fact that his mercs were looking for leverage over you and Zabuza is proof enough of that. Add in those Konoha nin and things could get real bad, real fast."

"Zabuza needs me and I refuse to abandon him." responded Haku quickly and hotly.

Naruto nodded his head slowly, knowing the girl's loyalty to her master. "Alright, but I am keeping an eye on you. I'll have some clones accompany you while you gather herbs as well as keep an eye on your base so I can be there in an instant if you need me."

Haku smiled at him before she leaned her head onto his shoulder. "You'll need to move. It'll be easy to trick Gatō and his men into believing this group was killed by the Konoha nin, but they'll start patrolling this area in greater numbers."

Naruto nodded as he wrapped one arm around her and pulled her close. "I've already got a secondary base set up; I was planning on moving there soon anyway. It's closer to your base and a lot easier to defend. I'll have a clone wait here and show you the way tomorrow after I finish setting things up there." answered the blonde. After a moment he asked, "Are you going to be alright my _yuki tenshi_?"

She took a deep breath while cuddling closer to him. "I will be." she whispered back as she let him hold her.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

After Haku had left for the night, Naruto calmed himself before creating a half-dozen more clones.

"We need to keep an eye on the Konoha shinobi now on the island. Three of you keep an eye on the village and the bridge, find out anything and everything you can about them, their client, and particularly where they are staying. Once one of you've found out where they are disperse to send that information to the others, I'll create more to start monitoring their base then. Keep your distance and stay out of sight for as long as possible. If they approach you get out of sight and disperse immediately, don't approach or speak to them under any circumstances."

Three clones nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation, before leaping into the woods to start their task.

"The rest of you make sure everything is packed and make sure no signs of us are left behind. We're moving to the secondary base. The cove's closer to Haku's hideout and is more easily defended anyway." ordered the blonde.

"Are you sure that's a smart idea boss?" asked one of the clones. "Won't that put us closer to danger as well? After all that Zabuza guy doesn't know us yet and he's supposed to be really dangerous."

"Zabuza is currently hurt and probably incapable of moving, so there's little chance he'll find us. Besides I trust Haku to handle things if they get that far." stated Naruto calmly. "Besides Gatō's people won't go anywhere near the area close to Zabuza's hideout unless their boss orders them to, so we'll be safer from detection there."

The clones nodded slowly, accepting the orders before starting to work.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(New Hideout, Next Morning)_

"I can't believe we're stuck living in a cave now." whined a clone as it was moving some of the supplies into the grotto.

"Shut it." growled Naruto, who was setting up his bedroll. Normally he'd agree, but now was not the time for complaining.

"We should have stayed at the shack, we actually had that place feeling pretty comfortable." grumbled another clone that was digging a fire pit, making sure it wouldn't smoke or show light outside the cave.

"If we'd stayed there, we would have been caught by Gatō's thugs." answered the original blonde.

"So what? We could have taken down those pansies easy." responded the first clone.

"True enough," agreed the blonde. "but how many could we have taken out before Gatō sent more than we could deal with, or just got lucky, or worse sent Haku and Zabuza after us?" responded the blonde, silencing the two complaining clones. None of them wanted to fight Haku; both because of their creator's feelings for her and her own skill, and going up against Zabuza on their own would just be suicide.

Seeing he'd silenced his nagging clones, the blonde formed a handsign that he was now very familiar with, forming another half-dozen shadow clones. "Go back to the shack and wait for Haku, stay hidden. When she shows up lead her here as quickly and quietly as possible if she shows up alone, if she's followed take care of them before approaching her." ordered the blonde indicating two clones. "The rest of you are on sentry duty, surround the grotto on all sides."

The clones nodded before setting out for their assigned tasks. Naruto rested himself to meditate and practice with the Kōriwa. He'd already gained some control of it, but he'd be the first to admit he'd barely scratched the surface. It made him wonder if one ring alone was so powerful, how the heck had his ancestor been defeated when he had all ten.

He shook such thoughts away for later. For now he had training to do. He began to practice focusing the aura of cold for combat purposes, rapidly freezing stones before shattering them with a well-placed strike. It was both good practice and excellent stress relief.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

_(New Hideout, Later that Day)_

Several hours passed, Naruto had finished his stress relief/training a short while ago and was now resting, leaning against one of the caves walls when the sound of clambering footsteps rushing on the stone floor of the water-lined tunnel that connected the grotto to the cove, caused him to quickly jump to his feet.

Moments later a rather haggard looking clone appeared in main chamber's entrance. It took him a moment to recognize it as one of the clone's he'd had monitoring and infiltrating the mobster/businessman's mansion. He'd occasionally manage to sneak a few in disguised as random mercenaries or servants, but always made sure they never stayed inside long enough to risk discovery.

"What's going on?" asked the origional blonde to the clone, who had apparently ran all the way here.

"Gatō's planning on double-crossing Haku and Zabuza." panted out the clone, "He came back after meeting with them and was cursing the both of them, said they'd regret the day they were born."

Naruto eyes widened in shock before narrowing as he let out a low, rumbling growl. "That slimy little toad, I knew he'd try something like this." hissed the blonde.

"It seems Zabuza should be fully healed in a week or so. Gatō plans to ambush them with a horde of mercenaries after they get rid of the bridge-builder and the Konoha nin. Hopes to take them out while they're still weak from whatever fight happens." continued the clone.

Naruto growled again. "Does Haku-chan know yet?" he questioned quickly.

The clone noticed a thick ring of frost surrounding the ground where its creator stood, the Kōriwa responding to its master's rage, before shaking his head rapidly. "I came straight here after finding out to report to you, boss. I figured you could send the message to Haku after I got here. Gatō's very careful about making sure he only discusses his plans where no one but his trusted lieutenants and bodyguards can hear him."

"Why didn't you dispel and send the message to me directly then?" asked the blonde hotly.

"Uh, you've been kinda' distracted lately with Haku and getting ready for the Konoha nin boss, you haven't taken the time to sort through our memories in over a week. I thought it was too important to risk being ignored." offered the clone sheepishly

Naruto stared at the clone for a minute before smacking his head. He'd usually meditate at least every other day to absorb the memories of his clones, but with Haku and the Konoha nin coming he'd forgotten. "Damn it, I'm such an idiot." he quickly created another clone. "You," he pointed to the clone that had brought the info, "dispel in ten minutes and let everyone know to keep their eyes open. If they see Haku before she gets to the shack, let her know we need to talk as soon as possible." the clone nodded his understanding.

The blonde's attention turned to his newest clone. "You're to keep an eye on things here while I sort through the back-log of memories I've got stored up."

"Are you sure boss? With over a week's worth of memories it's gonna…" started the clone.

"I know, but it's my own damned fault for forgetting about it. There's too much risk that something important might be mixed in for me to let them rot in the back of my brain." responded the blonde as he lied down on his sleeping mat; this was not going to be fun. He turned to the clone that had brought the Intel. "Thanks for bringing this to me so quickly." he stated before starting his meditation.

"Did he just…thank me?" questioned the clone, a bit unnerved by the idea of someone thanking what was little more than a copy of them.

"The boss is a good guy." agreed the other clone. "He actually appreciates us and what we do; I don't think there's a better person to have learned the Kage Bunshin."

"Still…thanking himself? I'm starting to think boss might have a few screws loose." offered the first with a slight chuckle.

"If he does, then what does that say about us?" returned the second, chuckling as well.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

Haku arrived at Naruto's former hiding place shortly after the sun had fully set behind the horizon. She grew concerned when a pair of clones suddenly leapt out of the surrounding brush.

"Sorry about the surprise boss-lady," stated one of the clones as they approached, "but boss wanted us to make sure you weren't being followed before we led you to the new base."

Haku nodded her head, agreeing with the precaution since she'd obviously been followed before if the mercs from yesterday were any indication.

They arrived at Naruto's new base a short time later. Haku was quite impressed with how quickly Naruto and his clones had set things up, but her study stopped instantly when she noticed Naruto stretched out on his sleeping mat, sweating heavily. "What's wrong with him?" she asked quickly as she hurried over before kneeling next to his bedroll.

"Nothing too serious boss-lady." answered the clone who seemed to be in charge. "He's just absorbing the memories from the clones that have dispelled over the past week. It can cause one hell of headache if you try and absorb too many at once though."

"It's okay. I'm perfectly fine." grunted the blonde as he tried to sit up, still sweating heavily and looking half-ready to pass out.

"You are most certainly not 'fine.'" stated Haku as she gently pushed him back onto the bedroll. "Get me a wet rag please." she instructed one of the clones, who nodded in agreement.

"Haku-chan, there's something I got to tell you." mumbled the blonde as he tried to sit up again.

"Stay down," ordered Haku, gently forcing him back down. "or I will tie you down."

"Kinky." stated a now smirking blonde. "Didn't think you'd be into that sort of thing."

Haku blushed. "Hush you."

Naruto chuckled. "You're not denying it tenshi." muttered the blonde as he drifted off to sleep.

Haku giggled softly as she accepted the damp cloth from one of the clones. Nodding her head in thanks she quickly used her kekkai genkai to chill the rag before placing it on Naruto's forehead.

As things settled down the lead clone approached. "Boss was trying to warn you, one of our scouts found out Gatō's planning to double-cross you and Zabuza after you get rid of the bridge-builder and the Konoha nin."

Haku's eyes narrowed slightly. "Explain." she ordered quickly.

The clone nodded before relaying what they had found out.

"I see." stated Haku thoughtfully. "Zabuza-sama won't believe it, he's too sure that he has Gatō cowed and where he wants him, besides he's spoiling for a rematch with the Konoha jounin." she muttered the last part to herself before looking at the clone. "I take it Naruto-kun has some kind of plan?"

The clone shrugged. "I think he's working on it while processing our memories. Boss's only real concern here is keeping you safe boss-lady."

Haku blushed softly as her attention returned to the slumbering blonde. "I'm worried for him. The Konoha nin don't know he's here yet and I hope to keep it that way." she turned her attention back to the clone. "The jounin's name is Kakashi Hatake, also known as _Sharingan no Kakashi_ (Kakashi of the Sharingan) and _Kopī Ninja no Kakashi_ (Kakashi the Copy Ninja). According to Zabuza-sama he's a very skilled, very dangerous shinobi." she noticed the clone's eyes had widened at the man's name. "What is it?"

"The jounin that failed boss during his second exam, his name was Kakashi Hatake." answered the clone quietly.

Haku's eyes narrowed dangerously at that, she made a mental note to hurt the legendary shinobi as severely as possible if she got the chance. "Well he appears to now be acting as the false Naruto's team sensei." she stated coolly.

The clone gulped. "So the team consists of the guy who failed boss, his worst rival, a girl he used to have a crush on, and a cheap knock-off. Sounds like a team designed to piss the boss off as much as possible." the clone muttered to himself, "Boss is so not going to like this when he finds out."

Haku didn't hear him; her mind was on what was to come in less than a week. Surprisingly her concerns weren't for herself or Zabuza, but for the blonde laying in front of her. She prayed to herself that things would work out as she gently stroked the sleeping blonde's hair.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Wave, Several Days Later)_

One of Naruto's clones was spying on the Konoha group. The clone's eyes were narrowed as it studied Kakashi Hatake, the man who had failed its creator during his second attempt at the genin exam. The man had been acting as a substitute proctor and hadn't even looked up at his display during the exam before failing him. When he asked what he'd done wrong (aka shouted "What the hell?"), the man had simply waved him off saying he was too loud. Ever since that day, the man had been a great source of frustration and anger for the blonde. Hopefully payback would be coming soon.

He watched as the bastard and his doppelganger left the group and headed out into the woods before following. He was quite surprised, and more than a little pissed, when he saw his copy transform into a small pug which began talking to Kakashi in a gruff voice.

'_A dog! He's using a fucking dog to imitate us?! That's so…I can't…The nerve of that…!'_ thought the clone, unable to think due to the pure rage at the insult that was being levied against him. After all, if Hatake thought a dog, even a summons, could do everything he could, then what did that say about the man's opinion of the blonde's skills?

The Naruto clone silently vowed revenge even as it popped out of existence, moments before Kakashi turned to stare at the place it had been seconds ago.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

_(Naruto's Cave, Next Morning)_

Naruto was meditating, filtering through the latest batch of memories from his clones. After his experience a week ago, the blonde became much more dependable when it came to sorting through his clones' memories. He never wanted to go through that level of brain overload again.

"Boss!" shouted a clone as it rushed in. Naruto quickly recognized it as one of the clones he'd had monitoring Haku and Zabuza's hideout.

"What is it?" asked the blonde quickly. He'd come to prefer his clones giving him verbal reports whenever possible, it got his attention faster and he didn't have to worry about missing it by waiting too long to absorb the memories.

"Your girl and her master just left for the bridge. The clone watching the Konoha group just dispelled a moment ago reporting that they just left as well…and the you with them wasn't at the house or with the group."

Naruto sat in thought for a moment, Haku had begged him not to interfere, afraid either the Konoha nin or Zabuza would somehow hurt him. _'But there's no way I can just leaver her to fight on her own, especially when I know what's coming.'_ thought the blonde, before he made up his mind.

Turning to the clone, he ordered. "I'm getting suited up, I want you guys to stay here and guard the base. If I don't come back…" he started.

"We'll come looking." finished the clone.

"No!" cut off Naruto. "Cause a cave-in at the entrance with some of the explosive notes we've made, bury everything inside. Even if they get me, there's no way I'm letting Konoha take mom's legacy again."

"Boss…" started the clone

Naruto had already grabbed his supply belt and was wrapping it around his waist. The narrow leather band had slots for over a dozen pouches and containers, each filled with kunai, shuriken, exploding notes, and other essential tools as well as a dozen storage scrolls; you never knew when those things could come in handy.

"Boss there's more." stated the clone suddenly, obviously receiving some news from a newly dispersed clone.

'_They seem to assimilate each other's knowledge automatically. Maybe I should keep one around constantly to receive reports.'_ thought the blonde, absently noting another fact about his jutsu, before responding. "What now?" he asked as he finished strapping on his weapon pouches. He really needed to find a weapon merchant or a skilled smith to get ahold of some of the Wushu weapons the journal had described. The only ones he had that he could use in a fight were the tonfa from Northern Mantis, and even they weren't designed for actual combat. He absently though about using the Kōriwa to make them, but quickly shot the idea down, he had no idea how long they'd last or how they'd serve under combat conditions, besides he didn't know enough about weapon crafting to make anything other than the proper shape or good enough control to give them balance, strength and a keen edge.

"Gatō just left with his horde, they appear to be leaving by boat and are going to wait at sea until the fighting stops, He also sent a couple of thugs to attack the bridge-builder's daughter and her son, they're planning on using her as a hostage before…" the clone trailed off, it didn't take a genius to figure out what they had in mind.

"That slimy little son of a…" snarled the blonde, there was no way in hell he was going to let the sleezeball or his minions get away with trying that, not on his watch. Instantly forming the cross symbol, the blonde created two dozen clones. "Go; protect the bridge-builder's family. When Gatō's goons show up, show them exactly how we feel about rapists." snarled the blonde.

The clones let out a roar of mutual agreement before rushing off.

Naruto smirked; it was a bad day to be a mercenary.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Tazuna's house, Short Time Later)_

_***SMACK!***_

Inari was sent tumbling backwards, tears streaming from his eyes. He'd tried to be strong, tried to protect his mother like his father would have, but it was useless. They were going to kill him, but his mother had threatened to bite out her own tongue and kill herself if they tried, making her useless as a hostage. The two thugs had debated what to do but eventually decided it wasn't worth the risk of her actually trying to go through with it. So they'd turned their backs on him and started to leave, dragging his mother behind and joking about the 'fun' they'd have later.

It was then that Inari had found his courage, charging the thugs and demanding they let his mom go, only to be swatted away like a fly.

"Brat's starting to get annoying." grumbled the larger of the two swordsmen, a behemoth of a man with several tattoos, a single eye, and dressed in purple and black hakama with bandages covering the lower half of his torso, leaving his heavily muscled and scared chest exposed. "I'm just going to get rid of him, keep the bitch from trying anything Zōri." he said, licking his lips while he drew his katana.

"Don't you da…_*mph*" _started Tsunami only for her jaw to be forced closed by the man's partner who was holding her.

"Have fun Waraji, just remember I get first dibs with girly here later." snickered the shorter of the two, now identified as Zōri. He was shorter than his companion, with pale blue-white hair, teal marking tattooed under his eyes, and dressed in dark blue pants, a large blue jacket, and a dark blue beanie.

"Fine with me." grunted Waraji as he stepped forward. "I've always had more fun slashing than stabbing." he added with a dark chuckle. As he drew his sword he smirked at the downed boy. "Nothing personal brat, you were just too stupid to run off when you had the chance. Now you've gotta learn what happens to stupid little heroes."

As he raised his sword to start his fun, the familiar figure of Naruto, the _real_ Naruto, appeared in front of him in a burst of speed. Before the swordsmen could respond to is sudden appearance, the blonde struck.

"_Dǒu Yì!_ (Buffeting Wings)" shouted the blonde shinobi, bringing both hands forward in a double palm thrust directly into the man's chest, sending the thug flying backward like he'd sent Inari just moments ago. After the man landed in a tumbled heap near his partner, a good ten or twenty feet away, Naruto relaxed back into a starting stance. "I'd advise you two to let the lady go and start running before I'm forced to hurt you." stated the blonde calmly.

"What the hell!" shouted Zōri, before his attention focused on Naruto. Letting go of Tsunami's mouth, he quickly drew his sword and held it against her neck. "Don't take another step brat or the bitch gets it." he threated while his partner tried to get back to his feet.

Naruto smirked. "Nice try, but I'm only a distraction." stated the grinning blonde.

Before Zōri could respond, a pair of shuriken flew in from the surrounding woods, both hitting him in the arms. One striking the hand holding his sword, the other biting into the shoulder of the arm restraining Tsunami. As both arms jerked to the side in pain, releasing Tsunami, a second Naruto appeared midair in front of the swordsman.

"_Xiāngfǎn Hè!_ (Reverse Crane)" shouted the newest clone as it delivered a midair, reverse roundhouse kick directly to the swordsman's face, sending him tumbling into his partner and both back to the ground.

Tsunami, once she overcame her shock, quickly rushed to her son's side while the two Narutos stood guard in front of them.

"N-Naruto." she whispered once she was sure her child was safe. The blonde teen that had been her guest for the past week now looked completely different, clothed in blue and black rather than orange. Even his eyes seemed to be different, colder and calmer.

"Not exactly lady, let's just say the Naruto you've gotten to know is only a pale imitation." stated the first clone smirking.

"While we happen to be parts of the genuine article." added the second with a smirk of his own.

"You damned brat!" snarled Waraji, as he and his partner finally regained their feet and their swords. "I'm going to carve you into mincemeat then feed you to the dogs!"

The Narutos smirked. "I don't think so." stated one before he glared darkly at the two swordsmen. "And we're about to show you what we think of rapists." he finished with a growl as both clones fell into fighting stances.

"The boss promised us the bitch after he was done with her." growled Zōri, as he readied his own sword.

"Do I look like I work for your little troll of a boss?" responded the second clone lowly. "You two thugs are outgunned, outsmarted, and outnumbered."

"Don't know who taught you math brat, but it looks like two on two to me." smirked Waraji, "Unless you think the brat or the bitch will be any help."

"No I wasn't talking about them, I was talking about _them_." stated the blonde, as the remainder of the two dozen clones descended around the mercenaries and began beating the two thugs to death, literally. When both bundles of bruised meat and broken bones that had once been human beings fell to the ground, the lead clones casually stepped forward and picked up their katana.

"You know what this makes us, don't you gentlemen?" questioned one placing the back of the blade against his shoulder.

"No what does it make us?" responded the second, who was pressing the tip of his sword into the ground like a cane, acting as the straight-man for the joke.

"Heroes, Big Damned Heroes." stated the proud clone, before he turned his attention to the two civilians. "I'd advise the two of you to get back inside now, the boss ordered us to keep you safe so don't worry."

Tsunami blinked before nodding, wondering why the blonde was now acting like he didn't know them, and where he'd gotten his odd new attire.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Bridge, Same Time)_

Naruto swore lightly under his breath. Zabuza's **Kirigakure no Jutsu** (Hiding in Mist Technique) was blanketing the entire area. He'd just passed Gatō and his contingent of lackeys heading toward the bridge via boat on his way here, which meant he didn't have much time left.

Still cursing under his breath he leapt onto the bridge and rushed toward the sounds of combat, hoping the mist would hide him from prying eyes. He passed by Sakura who was standing guard over a man who was obviously the bridge-builder as she clutched a kunai in her shaking hand. _'Why is she guarding him alone? She's shaking from fear and the fights are near the opposite side of the bridge.'_ thought the blonde as he rushed by, the girl not even noticing his presence as he slipped by. The girl needed to seriously learn to be more aware of her surroundings or she was going to get herself killed.

Hatake was fighting with Zabuza._ 'The big guy's got to be Zabuza. Not only does he match Haku's description, but I doubt many people carry swords taller than they are.'_ thought the blonde as he slipped by. He'd help Zabuza later if he needed it; right now his mind was totally focused on finding and protecting Haku. That didn't mean he wasn't mentally rooting for the swordsmen to remove one-eye's head from his shoulders though.

That was when he saw it, a dome formed from dozens of mirror seemingly made of pure ice. _'Haku's technique no doubt.' _thought the blonde with a smirk. Haku had told him a bit about her kekkai genkai, the _Hyōton_ (Ice Release), when they spoke of their pasts and even shown him a few of her techniques. He'd reciprocated of course, demonstrating some of his family's taijutsu and finally revealing the power of his mother's ring. The Kōriwa had fascinated Haku, since its powers were similar to her clan's own. She often wondered if the two were linked in some way.

He could hear the sound of fighting coming from within the dome of ice mirrors, so he quickly found a gap in the mirrors and peaked inside. He was quite pleased to find the Last Uchiha being turned into a human pincushion by his girlfriend's senbon. By the looks of it, the bastard had managed to activate his own kekkai genkai as well, if the red and swirly eyes were any indication, but was still losing ground fast thanks to Haku's superior speed, barely managing to deflect a third of the senbon thrown at him.

Deciding to end this one-sided fight before the Uchiha could land a lucky blow; the blonde took a deep breath in before shouting, "Oi Teme!"

Distracted, the young Uchiha turned to face the shout, only to be met by a trio of senbon piercing his neck. He barely managed a surprised, "D-dobe?" before he slumped down onto the cold hard surface of the bridge.

Smirking to himself the blonde stepped into the dome, Haku's beautiful image surrounding him. "Hey I must be in heaven because I'm surrounded by angels." he offered jokingly.

"Good to see you as well love." returned the girl softly, as she stepped out of one of the mirrors before pulling off her mask. She stepped forward and gave him a brief kiss.

Naruto smiled and returned the kiss before nudging the Uchiha with one foot. "Is he dead?" he asked, not really caring, the teme had always been a…well a teme.

"No, simply in a death-like state." answered Haku evenly, before a stern look crossed her face. "What are you doing here Naru-kun; I thought I told you to stay away?"

Naruto's face instantly became serious. "Gatō's coming and he's brought at least half if not more of his mercs along for the ride, we need to get out of here fast! Zabuza seems to be fighting toe-to-toe with Hatake, I'd say we can nudge to balance into our favor."

It was then that a fourth body entered the dome. "Uh?" stated a clearly confused, orange-clad Naruto as he saw a blue-clad one.

Naruto smirked at his doppelganger. "Well if it isn't my very own copycat; or should I say copy-mutt." stated the blonde snidely.

"N-Naruto?" stuttered out the disguised ninken.

"The one, the only, and the original." stated the blonde proudly as he held his left hand out toward the Pakkun-Naruto, (who will henceforth be called simply Pakkun) the Kōriwa glowing brightly. "_Eien Hōyō_! (Eternal Embrace)" roared the blonde, sending the aura of cold out to envelop his doppelganger.

Before the disguised ninken could even move he was frozen within a solid block of ice.

"You've really got to show me all that that little piece of jewelry of yours is capable of Naruto-kun." stated Haku with a small smile.

"In time Haku-chan, I promise." agreed the blonde. "Now let's go help out your master before Gatō and his butt-buddies arrive."

Haku nodded and moved to replace her mask, only to stop and stare as Naruto used a quick Henge to transform into an exact copy of his doppelganger, complete with a leaf headband.

Seeing her stare, he explained. "We can mock fight until we get close enough to Hatake to give him a little surprise." stated a smirking Naruto.

Haku returned the smirk before giving a brief kiss and redonning her mask. "Ready?" she asked evenly.

Naruto nodded before falling into the brawling stance he'd used before he started studying his family's fighting style. One he'd felt unbeatable using it, now the stance felt clunky and awkward, all the little flaws and holes clearly visible.

"Then let's begin." stated Haku, her voice now the emotionless one of the hunter-nin, as she dispelled her jutsu and charged Naruto, senbon gripped between her fingers.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

Kakashi was drained. Summoning Pakkun midfight without alerting Zabuza had been taxing to the extreme, but he knew Sasuke would need help taking out the ice-user.

He'd just managed to summon the rest of his personal pack to restrain Zabuza, and was now forming his **Chidori** (Thousand Birds) to finish the man off so he could help his students and summons. He noticed Pakkun was fighting the ice-user as he fought with Zabuza, hopefully the ninken would be enough to distract her until he could finish this. His reserves were running low and he didn't want to risk another bout of chakra exhaustion so soon after recovering.

He was charging Zabuza, his arm extended to spear the man through his chest, when a foot came into sharp contact his lower leg, destroying his balance and sending him and his attack falling harmlessly to the ground. He was barely able to dodge the flurry of senbon that came following after. Regaining his feet he was surprised to find his faithful summons standing next to the hunter-nin.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" barked Kakashi quickly, using the name of his false-student in case one of the other two could hear him.

He was so surprised he couldn't even move to dodge when his summons attacked him with a whipping, open-hand strike to the side of his head with a call of "_Jīngrén Shé_! (Striking Snake)" The blow rattled his brain a little, preventing him from dodging the senbon that soon followed and pierced his legs, rendering him unable to move anything below his pelvis.

"Sorry Hatake, but I'm not one of your little puppies." stated the blonde coldly. In a puff of smoke, the orange-clothed blonde was replaced with one clothed in a black and blue set of Chinese pants and a vest, both with blue tidal markings and a red swirl over his heart. "I'm the original."

"N-N-Naruto?" he whispered in shock, before his attention was diverted from staring at the new blonde when he heard the distinctive pops of his summons being forcefully dispelled. He turned quickly and found the hunter-nin doing her best to tend to Zabuza's arms before Naruto reclaimed his attention.

"Who the fucking hell do you think you are Hatake!?" growled out the blonde. "You already failed me once on my second attempt at being a shinobi. Now you have the nerve to dress up one of your pets to look like me and make me look like a fucking joke! Tell the old man to get it through his skull already, I'm done with Konoha and the only way I'm coming back is in a fucking body-bag!" snarled the blonde, before he turned his attention to the hunter and Zabuza. "Gatō's double-crossed you and is coming with a small army of mercs. We need to get out of here quickly." he stated calmly.

"Would one of you two mind telling me what the hell is going on here?" growled out Zabuza as he flexed his newly bandaged arms before wincing. "I thought the blonde brat was with them."

"Hell no, I turned in my Konoha hitai-ate months ago, I've been living in Wave for three months now." responded the blonde

"He's telling the truth Zabuza-sama, Naruto-kun is on our side."

"Kun?" questioned Zabuza, causing his apprentice to blush behind her mask. "I take it he's where you've been sneaking off to for the past few weeks?"

Haku lowered her head before nodding slowly and explaining how she and the blonde had met.

"You couldn't have been here that long!" stated a shocked Kakashi. "Iruka and his team searched for you here."

"I know; I had clones watching them. They only searched the village, I've been living elsewhere." responded the blonde shortly, mostly ignoring the silver-haired jounin. "Now we need to get out of her fast, Gatō and his cronies will be here any minute."

"Not happening kid." grunted Zabuza as he cracked his neck and tried to move his arms again, only to grimace in pain. "That worm needs to learn what happens when you try and double-cross a shinobi, particularly one of my pay-grade."

"Fine, then I guess we're fighting an entire army with just three people." grumbled the blonde, throwing up his arms as he began to get ready.

"We? And since when is this your fight junior?" questioned the Demon of the Mist as he glared at the blonde.

"It's not, but I'd die ten times over to protect Haku-chan." responded the blonde hotly, glaring right back.

Zabuza raised an eyebrow at the blonde before turning to his apprentice. "You feel the same way girl?" he asked calmly.

Haku was silent for a moment before nodding.

"Hm, so I see." stated the Kiri nuke-nin sagely before he chuckled lightly. "I thought this could happen someday, but I'll be damned if I expected these circumstances." he muttered to himself before turning to Naruto. "Kid, take Haku and get out of here, now." ordered the nuke-nin.

"What?" asked both Naruto and Haku.

"This is my fight, not yours brat and not Haku's either." stated the Kiri nuke-nin. "Haku, take your boyfriend back to the base and gather everything. After that, what you do is entirely your decision."

"Zabuza-sama I can't…" she started.

"This is my final order." growled Zabuza, before his voice softened slightly. "Leave and be happy Haku, I've dragged you down my own path long enough, now you need to start your own." The man studied his own arms, still badly mauled by the dogs despite Haku's best efforts, before turning to Naruto. "Kid, you got a spare kunai?"

Naruto looked at Haku, who was obviously crying behind her mask, before nodding and tossing the weapon to Zabuza, who proceeded to catch it between his teeth. "Take her and go kid, the mist is fading. Just…just keep her safe." he finished quietly around the kunai.

Naruto stared at the man before nodding. "I will, you have my word." whispered the blonde as he grabbed Haku's hand and lead her off the bridge.

"Naruto, wait!" shouted the copy-nin, who'd been ignored during most of the conversation and was attempting to remove the senbon from his legs and get them moving again. So far he was only half-way there.

"Leave them be Hatake." stated Zabuza coldly as he stared off into the fading fog. "We've got bigger worries to deal with, unless you want your client slaughtered by mercenaries."

Kakashi scowled behind his mask as he shakily got to his feet, but accepted the large nuke-nin's point. It wasn't like he could keep up until he managed to fix his legs anyway.

When Gatō and his mercenaries appeared they were met by the raging form of the _Kirigakure no Kijin_ (Demon of the Hidden Mist), with Hatake Kakashi providing support. Zabuza ripped through the throngs of Gatō's mercenaries like a sword through wet paper, killing the business man himself in a gory combination of moves that ended with Zabuza sending the still-screaming mobster over the edge of the bridge and plummeting into the waters below, dying them crimson with his own life blood. By the end of it the only survivors were those that fled back to the waiting boat after Gatō had fallen to his death. Zabuza had been mortally wounded, stabbed through the back at least a dozen times by various weapons, but uncaring in his rage and bloodthirst until he collapsed onto the ground as the battle ended.

"Hatake," Zabuza managed to breathe out as he laid there dying, managing to draw the Konoha jounin's attention. "Leave the kids alone, don't chase them." with that final request Zabuza Momochi, one of the most feared shinobi to ever live, left the mortal coil.

Kakashi sighed to himself sadly, "I wish I could honor your request Zabuza, but I have my own orders." whispered the Copy Ninja sadly, before he turned his attention back to his students.

He quickly found Pakkun frozen in a block of ice and dispelled the ninken before resummoning him. The ninken was, of course, none too pleased by being flash-frozen by the kid he was imitating and it took several promises of steak to get the stubborn pug to resume his disguise.

After that he found Sakura sobbing over the apparently 'dead' form of Sasuke. "Um…Sakura?" offered Kakashi, not knowing how to easily break the girl's melodrama. "He's not really dead, just in a death-like state like Zabuza was. He'll be fine in a few weeks." now that he knew what was happening, it was easy enough to tell. While Sakura squealed in joy, Pakkun reintroduced himself as Naruto.

"Yeah Sakura-chan, the teme couldn't handle it himself. It was a good thing I was there to beat the hunter-nin myself or he'd be dead. I saved his life, Dattebyo!" proclaimed the disguised pug loudly; going off of what everyone had assumed was Naruto's personality. Kakashi couldn't help but remember Naruto calling it an insult, but no one else seemed to notice the difference.

He was then forced to stop Sakura from attacking the ninken, something that could disrupt the Henge, claiming that it was probably Naruto's fault he was like this in the first place.

'_If only she knew.'_ thought the jounin sadly. This was going to be painful to write about. He could already feel the headache forming as he started planning the report he'd have to send to the Hokage and Iruka's team. _'Why does everything involving that kid have to be so…complicated?'_

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**JUTSU IDENTIFICATION**

_Luò De Hè _(Falling Crane) – _D-ranked offensive jutsu technique, Crane-style Wushu_. A falling axe-kick augmented by channeling chakra into the legs to both increase the jumps height and the downward momentum of the leg.

_Dǒu Yì!_ (Buffeting Wings) – _C-rank offensive taijutsu technique, Crane-style Wushu_. A chakra-augmented double palm-thrust. The thrust is designed to both damage an opponent and push them away from the user.

_Xiāngfǎn Hè_ (Reverse Crane) – _D-ranked offensive taijutsu technique, Crane-style Wushu_. A reverse roundhouse kick delivered either midair or while on the ground augmented using chakra.

_Eien Hōyō_ (Eternal Embrace) – _Kōriwa attack power_. By manipulating the Kōriwa's aura of ice to envelop an opponent, the user can then entrap them in a solid cocoon of ice. An opponent completely encased is put into a state of cryogenic hibernation temporarily but can easily die from the exposure if not released quickly enough, otherwise it merely entraps the opponent and risks freezing them to death if left trapped too long.

_Jīngrén Shé_ (Striking Snake) – _D- ranked offensive taijutsu technique, Snake-style Wushu_. A basic strike using the snake hand to attack an opponent's nerve clusters or other vulnerable points, disorienting them

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

END CHAPTER 5


	6. Setting Out in a Hurry

Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings

**Review Response**

_**To everyone else who read and reviewed thank you for your time and attention**_

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**Jutsu**, _Kung Fu Technique,_ _Ring Power_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or even the original idea for this story. All I own is any of my original ideas. **

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**Chapter 6: Setting Out In a Hurry**

_(Wave Country Woods, Shortly After Zabuza's Demise) _

Naruto was now carrying Haku. The girl had broken down after watching Zabuza's final stand from a distance, hiding in the trees surrounding the bridge's land-bound construction site. Naruto had barely been able to catch her before she hit the ground. He had silently offered a prayer for the soul of the Demon of the Mists, hoping he found peace in the next life, and vowed to keep Haku safe for him. Now, he was carrying her through the woods bridal style as he worked to put as much distance as possible between them and the Konoha group.

Their first stop was Zabuza's base. It would be a good place to reconnoiter and gather everyone. He'd already created a clone and dispelled it, sending the message to all his other active clones to meet him there. From there they would figure a way off this island and away from Hatake.

"Boss!" shouted one of the clones as he joined the gathering of blondes outside the hidden base. The groups he had monitoring the woods and guarding their own base had all arrived, several bearing backpacks containing everything in storage scrolls. The only ones who hadn't arrived yet was the group he'd sent to guard the bridge-builders house, and they should be here soon.

"Is everything packed?" asked the original blonde as he landed.

The clones nodded. "Everything and anything boss." stated one before he turned his attention to Haku, who was curled up in Naruto's arms. "Is the boss-lady hurt?" it asked in concern.

"Not physically." stated the blond quietly before he began handing out orders. "I want a half-dozen of you to come with me, keep the packs and scrolls with you. The rest are to fan out and keep an eye on the place while we're inside, no one else comes in."

The clones nodded and began doing as they were told. Naruto walked into the small building, Haku regaining her feet shortly after entering and began leading him to where everything was. He made another half-dozen Kage Bunshin to help the scroll-bearers start packing everything up the place with Haku's okay. The two teens took care of Zabuza's room themselves.

When she saw the small pack resting on the ground, Zabuza's personal belongings no doubt, her hands began to shake as she slowly reached for it...

Naruto was instantly behind her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a comforting embrace and she held onto the pack crying. A sob broke through the sounds of tears. "Zabuza-sama…father." Haku whispered softly between sobs.

"It's going to be okay angel." whispered the blonde soothingly, stroking her hair. "I'm here and no matter what happens I promise to never leave you Haku-chan, it's a promise of a lifetime." he vowed.

They sat like that for what felt like hours, Naruto hugging her close to him while she clutched onto her adoptive father's pack.

"Um boss?" stated a clone from within the doorway. "You've been in here for a while now, we were wondering what we should do?"

Naruto nodded, never letting go to Haku. "We need to get off this island quick. Hatake knows we're here and he's going to come looking for us as soon as he can move freely. Those senbon won't slow him down for long." stated the blonde.

"Gatō's yacht." whispered Haku.

"What?"

"Gatō has a yacht. It's anchored at his mansion's private docks. With him dead now, no one's going to use it unless some of the remaining mercenaries decide to steal it." stated the ice-user softly.

Naruto nodded, he and his clones knew the basics of sailing, having learned from a book they'd bought in the mainland and from using the small skiff they'd found as practice

"If Gatō's dead, we could also help ourselves to whatever he's got in his mansion too. That is if his mercs haven't already looted it yet." stated the clone.

"They haven't." stated Naruto calmly. "They probably don't even know their boss is dead yet. The only ones who left that bridge alive were sailing off in the opposite direction just to get away from Zabuza. We'll start by securing the docks quietly, and then we'll move in and claim whatever we can from the mansion before we depart."

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

_(Gatō's Mansion, An Hour Later)_

It was surprisingly easy gaining access to the diminutive crimelord's private docks. The man had obviously taken the majority of his mercenaries with him to attack Zabuza and hadn't bothered to leave any guarding the docks. With only a slight use of water walking, well slight for Naruto who's chakra reserves dwarfed most jounin, Naruto and his team of clones, one carrying Haku who'd exhausted herself and fallen asleep before leaving the base. After making sure she was comfortable in the main cabin, Naruto had ordered the remainder of his clones to get the ship ready to leave, while he posted another two dozen as guards along the docks.

Naruto then began approaching the mansion by stealth, using clones to help scout the place's remaining defenses. It looked like his estimates were off; Gatō had taken way more than half his forces to attack Zabuza on the bridge, from the look of his remaining guards he'd taken at least three-quarters of it, if not more. He doubted there were more than fifty mercenaries guarding the mansion at the moment.

Naruto smiled, it was time the big, bad mercenaries learned what it was like to be outnumbered by a superior force.

"**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**! (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)" shouted the blonde. In an instant one Naruto became a hundred.

Now normally outnumbering an opponent two to one with Kage Bunshin wouldn't be much of an advantage; especially considering the clones' relative frailty, being destroyed by one solid hit, but when you factor in the fact that Naruto's training had greatly improved his taijutsu ability, particularly in areas involving dodging or deflecting incoming attacks, and the low level of training his opponent's had when fighting against a shinobi, and the fact that Naruto had surprise on his side…well it becomes an entirely new ballgame.

Shuriken and kunai filled the air as the clones charged, cutting down and weakening the first ranks of mercenaries that had yet to be able to muster a solid defense. By the time the clones actually reached the mansion, the remaining guards were able to organize at least a half-formed defense. The clones met mercenaries with a roar of combat, taijutsu facing weapons of every shape and size, along with a very varied level of skill in their use.

Naruto was right in the middle of it, leading from the front. Now most would lead from the back when using clones in this way, well if it was possible for anyone else to use clones this way, but that simply wasn't how Naruto operated. Leading from the back meant he couldn't see what was happening, couldn't make good decisions in the fight. Leading from behind meant that an opponent could single him out as the leader and try and take him out, while amidst his clones Naruto was just one face in a vast mob. Finally, Naruto just enjoyed fighting and it wouldn't do for him to stay in the background; that was just not the way Naruto's mind worked.

Naruto quickly sidestepped a swing from a mercenary's sword, before whirling and striking out with a snake hand to the side of the man's face, disorienting him enough to stab a drawn kunai through his throat. Snake style, as he'd learned, wasn't a directly damaging style. Its blows hurt but weren't designed for permanent damage without a weapon, instead they were designed to distract and disorient, opening the opponent up for strikes from far more lethal styles or weapon strikes. Naruto quickly rolled under several arrows and bolts that a group of mercenaries wielding bows and crossbows had fired into the swarm from a third-story balcony.

Naruto raised his left hand, palm facing them. "_Danpen Arashi_ (Shard Storm)" hissed the blonde as he released a torrent of razor-edged ice shards at the mercenaries. The mercenaries, obviously not expecting that kind of counterattack were instantly cut down by the hundreds of shards of cutting ice.

Nodding to himself in satisfaction at his current mastery over the Kōriwa's power, the blonde rejoined the fray only to find it mostly over. The mercenaries had been overwhelmed quite easily. Over half were now dead, wounded, or dying while the other half had either fled into the woods or had surrendered.

The blonde turned his attention to the closest clone. "How many did we lose?" asked the blonde seriously.

"Less than half sir, our opponents broke ranks after they saw your little display with the Kōriwa. Apparently they're scared to death of Haku and Zabuza and thought the ice meant they were fighting them too." answered the clone

Naruto nodded. "Have a dozen clones gather up the ones that surrendered and the wounded and dying, keep those you can alive, and tie up the lot of them. Once we're gone I'll have a group of clones escort them to the village to face judgment from the people they've been helping oppress. I want another dozen watching all approaches to the mansion, in case some of those deserters try and double back to try and surprise us. The rest, break into groups of six and start searching this place from top to bottom and store anything worth taking into the scrolls, assign two of the large ones to each group leader. I'm taking my group and looting Gatō's study, who knows what the midget kept in there." ordered the blonde, shrugging off his pack and removing a couple of storage scrolls before handing it to a nearby clone for further distribution.

The clone saluted before dispersing, passing on the orders to its siblings, who quickly set to work. Naruto himself led the group to Gatō's personal office and study. The room was quite small, but Naruto knew there were quite a few things hidden in there, including a wall-safe behind one of the portraits. His clones had made sure to map and study the place quite well whenever they got a chance to infiltrate the mansion. As his clones set to work sealing all the books and files in the study, you never know what could come in handy, he got to work cracking the safe, literally. Rapidly flash-freezing the metal of the door then thawing it then flash-freezing it again with Kōriwa to weaken the metal made finally smashing it open no different than breaking a log.

Naruto couldn't help but smirk when he realized what the first folder of paperwork hidden inside the safe was. "The deeds to almost every square foot in Wave." he stated with a small smirk. While owning his own country was a nice thought the blonde decided they weren't his to take. Forming a trio of new clones he handed the paperwork to one of them. "Get this stuff to the bridge-builder. He's probably the only guy in Wave we can trust to do what's right. Besides even if he decides to keep it all for himself, he deserves it for having the gonads to try and take on Gatō on his own. Oh, and if Hatake's there, give him the finger for me." Then he turned to the other two, "You two wait outside and see how he reacts. Hopefully he's still to hurt to come after us, but I don't want to take any chances."

The clones smirked before rushing out of the room, eager to complete their assigned tasks.

Naruto continued to grin as he picked through the rest of the paperwork, mostly bank books with the account numbers and passwords. "Gatō you stupid little prick, you've just made me rich." laughed the blonde as he sealed the books and accounts into one of his personal scrolls.

"Boss! You're going to want to see this!" shouted a clone. Turning the blonde found that his clones had managed to jimmy the lock to one of the adjacent rooms. Shrugging his shoulders since he was done with safe anyway he followed them inside.

Inside the room was plethora of weapons, mostly gaudy decorative pieces that would be only good for selling; jewelry, artwork and other valuable trinkets. It appears Gatō had made the place his own private gallery. However there was one display that caught his attention. The moment his eyes rested on it he felt a pulse he hadn't felt since he'd first touched Kōriwa. Approaching the case slowly his eyes instantly locked on what appeared to be the centerpiece of the case. It was a golden ring, decorated with etchings of fire and flame, with a single, bright red ruby in its center, connected to the ring by golden flame designs. Resting at the center of the ruby was the kanji for 'Fire,' seemingly floating in the gemstone's depths and written in a dark, burnt orange.

"No freaking way." breathed out the blonde as he instantly shattered the glass of the case with the blunt end of a kunai before slowly removing the ring, feeling the familiar tingle of power rushing into him as his fingers brushed against it. It wasn't like the cold power of the Kōriwa, but hot like fire boiling in his veins. "The _Kasaiwa_ (Ring of Fire)." breathed out the blonde as he placed his newest ring on his right thumb, as his mother's scroll had described when it briefly mentioned the names of all ten rings and their position on their master's hands. Instantly he felt a rush of power and completeness just like when he'd first donned the Kōriwa. He looked down and noticed both rings glowing brightly.

"You're excited to be reunited after so long, aren't you my little friends?" he asked the rings, Mom's journal had said they were semi-sentient at least. "Don't worry, we'll find your other eight siblings soon enough." promised the blonde, resisting the urge to laugh maniacally, he didn't want his clones thinking he'd finally lost it.

"Boss, bad news, Hatake's on his way!" shouted one of the clones.

Naruto quickly shut his eyes, absorbing the memories of the recently dispersed trio he'd sent to the bridge-builder. "Crap!" it seems Hatake hadn't liked his message, if the way he instantly punched the clone delivering it before charging out. And if the way he'd cleaved through the other two was any indication, he was feeling a lot better than the blonde thought he would be.

"Have the squad leaders finish whatever they're doing and head for the boat with the scrolls. All other clones are to move out and detain Hatake for as long as possible." ordered the blonde. Just for good measure he created another fifty clones to reinforce the ones he already had. Hopefully a hundred clones would slow the jounin down enough for him to get everything on the ship and sail out. It was a stupid, arrogant mistake taunting the jounin like that, and one the blonde hoped he'd live to never make again.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

It seems that a hundred clones were not enough…not nearly enough. Naruto may have improved greatly since leaving Konoha, but his opponent wasn't known as one of Konoha's strongest jounin for nothing. Naruto saw the masked nin cutting through his clones like melted butter as he charged forward. Jutsu of all shapes and sizes erupting from the Konoha nin to cut swathes through his clones.

"Crap and double crap." muttered the blonde as he created another batch of clones to try and slow down the obviously displeased jounin before turning to the clone at the wheel in the pilot's compartment. "Is everything aboard?"

"Aye Captain Boss, the last of the leaders just dropped off their booty before leaving to do battle with the one-eyed cur!" agreed the clone with a salty slur. Naruto didn't even have time to question it.

"Then get us out of here _NOW_!" ordered the blonde. The clones acting as the ship's crew instantly replied with a group "AYE!" as the boat's motors were shifted on to full power and they set sail.

However it seemed Hatake was not one to be denied. Breaking through the ranks of the clones, the one-eyed nin leapt from the dock, hoping to board the ship before it got too far.

"Oh no you don't one-eye, _Shiro Taihō_! (White Cannon)" shouted the blonde as he raised his left hand and launched a cannonball of pure ice directly at the leaping copy-nin, slamming into his gut and sending him falling into the waters below. The man had barely hit the surface before Naruto had leapt over the edge of the railing, sliding down the side of the boat using a variant of the tree walking exercise. "Chill out teme. _Eien Hōyō_! (Eternal Embrace)" smirked the blonde as he touched the water with his left hand. Instantly a path of ice began to form heading directly toward Kakashi. Before the man could do more than force his head above the water, all the water in a dozen feet surrounding him was frozen, trapping him in a floating prison of ice.

Naruto began to laugh as he clambered back up to the ship. "Full speed out of here Mr. Clone!" ordered the blonde as he hopped over the railings and landed on deck.

"Aye-Aye Captain Boss!" agreed the clone as they sped off, leaving a fuming Kakashi Hatake bobbing on the water and trying to figure a way out of this.

Smirking to himself, the blonde returned to the main cabin to stay near Haku, she needed him now. Besides, creating close to three hundred clones and flash-freezing a jounin was tiring work.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Yacht, Early Next Morning)_

Haku began stirring into wakefulness early the next morning, momentarily forgetting where she was. As she tried to move she felt an arm around her waist tighten slightly, turning quickly she found Naruto asleep next to her, his arm protectively encircling her waist. She smiled softly. _'Even while asleep he's trying to keep me safe._' she thought warmly, drawing comfort from the blonde's presence, while she remembered the man who'd cared for her for so long was now dead.

From the light filtering through the porthole on their room's side, she could see that the sun was just starting to either rise or set, and judging by the coloration and ambient temperature she'd say it was rising, and the sound of waves slapping gently against the sides of the boat told her that the ship was stationary.

Her hands gently found Naruto's locked around her waist, and she absently noticed a new ring gracing the thumb of his right hand. _'I'll have to ask him about that later.'_ she thought to herself as she managed to roll over and face him

Her dark eyes slowly took in the peacefulness of his face. Since she'd first met him, she rarely saw him this at peace. He was usually so driven. Driven to become stronger, driven to prove himself worthy of the legacy his mother had left him, driven to protect her. Now seeing him looking so at peace, so totally relaxed, it was soothing, being allowed to see him so at ease brought her a strange sense of peace.

Her hand gently lifted up to trace the whisker marks that shrouded both of his cheeks. She smiled when he let out a low rumbling purring sound from his chest as she gently stroked them. That feralness, that sense of wild strength and freedom, was just another aspect of the man she'd come to love so quickly. Without him she doubted she'd have survived Zabuza's passing.

Haku was a woman of deep wisdom despite her young age. Her life and travels with Zabuza had taught her much about human nature, particularly her own, and particularly what people often needed to survive. She was the type of person that needed someone else to live happily, the type that would die without a close bond, without someone who needed or wanted them. If she hadn't met him, hadn't found her second precious person before Zabuza's passing, she'd have likely taken her own life or thrown it away on a suicide mission.

Naruto was different though, he didn't need others, though he too hungered for bonds. What the blonde needed to survive was a goal, something to strive for. From his stories that goal had first been to be Hokage, before it had been broken by betrayal, now it was to complete and honor his family's legacy. When that was done, the blonde would search for a new goal, a new drive, though exactly what she couldn't say. Without a goal, without something to strive for he'd waste away, losing the fire that gave him life. Zabuza-sama was the same way, a man who was driven by his goal to overthrow the Mizukage, even after his failed coup that drive never left.

Zabuza-sama had told her to start her own path, and she had chosen to walk beside Naruto. Whatever he decided to do, Haku would be there by his side.

"_No matter what happens I promise to never leave you Haku-chan, it's a promise of a lifetime"_ That promise, whispered to her while she was nearly broken by grief, echoed in her mind, causing her to smile once more. "And I promise to always be by your side Naruto-kun, that is my promise of a lifetime." whispered Haku gently as she softly kissed the blonde sleeping next to her.

She felt him stir, awakened by the gentle kiss or simply waking on his own. Slowly opening his eyes, he smiled as his eyes met hers. "Hey." he whispered gently.

She returned the smile and cuddled close. "Hey." she whispered back.

"What time is it?" he asked softly.

"The sun is just starting to rise, so I'd say close to five or six in the morning. We're not moving."

Naruto nodded. "We should probably get up, we'll need to decide a heading, and we need a new hideout."

Haku nodded, before snuggling closer to him, leaning her head against his chest, "In a little while, I'm too comfortable right now." she sighed.

Naruto simply wrapped his arms more tightly around her, pulling her close.

Neither teen moved for quite a while.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

"BOSS ON DECK!"

The shout of one clone echoed as Naruto and Haku emerged onto the deck some hours later, the rushing forms of over a dozen clones moving to greet them with salutes.

Naruto could only shake his head while Haku giggled at the odd behavior "At ease you lot. Where the hell are we?" he asked the clones.

"We're in open waters captain." responded a clone holding up a map. Quickly setting it down and spreading it out, he continued. "According to the maps and instruments we found I'd say we're a good thirty leagues north of Wave and a good twenty from Fire Country's eastern coast. That would put us about here." he said indicating a spot on the map.

"What are the specs on this dinghy?" responded the blonde

"Well captain, she's a cruiser yacht, though she seems to incorporate some racing designs for better speed and control, and she measures about sixty feet in length with a standard keel design and a cutter rigging. We've got here at a cruising speed at about 10 knots (11 mph) using the motors alone, but if we push her and get some decent wind we could probably double if not triple that. All in all she's a good ship if we want to move quickly and quietly." stated the clone proudly, before noticing the odd looks the two teens were sending him. Chuckling to himself the clone scratched the back of his head. "A couple of us read through some of the sailing books Gatō had in his library while you two were resting, helped us get a good idea of how to handle this ship." he explained nervously.

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose; that was going to be a bitch to absorb when he started meditating. Haku simply giggled again.

Deciding to move on for now, the blonde asked another question. "Any idea where we're going?"

"No clue boss, that's yours and the boss-lady's decision. Once we were far enough from Wave to be safe, we cut the motors and decided to wait until you two were up before making any decisions. We've done a quick inventory of the ship though, and started sorting the loot from Gatō's mansion."

"And?" questioned the blonde.

"The ship was pretty well stocked on her own boss; Gatō must have had her ready in case he ever had to flee Wave in a hurry. Combined with what we took from the mansion we've got enough food to last us for several months, particularly since you and boss-lady are the only ones who need to eat and the scrolls prevent the food from rotting. As for fuel, the tank's full and there's enough stored to refill it once, maybe twice. It's also got plenty of other supplies needed to maintain a ship and one hell of a liquor cabinet. As for the stuff we got from the mansion, most of its worthless to us on its own, but most of it seems pretty valuable so we should be able to sell it if we head to port. The shrimp did have a _lot_ of clothes; nearly anything and everything you could think of, including women's stuff, guess the shrimp liked playing dress-up or something. As for money itself, with the stuff we took from Gatō and the bank accounts we recovered coupled with what we had left from the folks, we shouldn't have to worry about money for a long time."

"The problem's going to be selling it all without drawing attention to ourselves." stated the original blonde thoughtfully. "We sell all this stuff in one place and people are bound to get suspicious, even if we split it up among disguised clones. We should probably disguise the ship as well; I don't want to risk Konoha getting a description of it from Hatake."

"What if we sell it at several ports?" asked Haku, getting the two males' attention. "There are several large ports along Fire's eastern coast, just a few days apart by boat, particularly if our crew doesn't need to sleep. If we sell a portion in each it's unlikely to draw much attention for quite a while."

Naruto smiled before wrapping an arm around her and kissing her cheek. "It's great having another brain to pick, particularly a pretty and smart one." stated the blonde happily before returning his attention to his clones. "All right you lot, you heard the lady, start setting coarse for the nearest large port. We'll sell some of Gatō's loot there and start moving between them up the coast. We can gather info about what's been happening on the mainland while we're there and buy supplies for our new hideout along the way."

"And where's our new hideout going to be boss?" asked the navigator clone.

The blonde stopped to think. "We need an isolated place, some place we can train in peace without risking another discovery from Konoha."

"How about Snow Country?" offered Haku, pointing to a small island country near the northern border between Lightning and Fire Country. When she noticed both Naruto and his clones staring at her questioningly she elaborated. "There are several mining towns scattered along its coast, most of which were abandoned in the last few years since the new Daimyo started tapping them out looking to improve his nation's military. Za…Zabuza-sama told me there's one approximately here, he was planning on using it as a hideout after our work in Wave was done and we moved on. It's hidden in a cove so it's nearly impossible to find if you don't know it's there."

Naruto nodded his head; it was as good an idea as any he had. Marking the location he turned to his clones. "Alright you lugs, you heard the Angel. Let's start heading for those ports before we set sail for Snow!" ordered the blonde.

"Aye Captain Boss!" roared the crew of clones, as they set to work. Naruto absently wondered how long it would be until they tried to raise a Jolly Roger and started acting like pirates.

He shuddered at the memories he knew he was going to receive before turning his attention to Haku. "Milady?" he offered holding out his arm, which Haku gigglingly took.

One of the clones snorted. "Well there goes our bachelor lifestyle." it stated with a smirk.

"Awww. Does that mean we can't run around naked anymore?" another clone joked, only to be dispelled by the blunt end of a kunai impacting its forehead.

Naruto grumbled under his breath as he lowered his arms. "It's times like this I seriously question my own sanity Haku-chan."

Haku merely patted his shoulder comfortingly.

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

_(Wave, Couple Days Later)_

Kakashi was scowling, only to be interrupted by a sneeze as he huddled under the thick blankets Tsunami had provided him. It had taken him hours to work his way out of his frozen prison using only chakra to slowly melt the ice holding him in place. It had taken far longer than it should have, but he guessed the ice Naruto had summoned hadn't been normal. That only confirmed what he'd already suspected after the blonde had left. Only one shinobi could use ice like that in Konoha, Kushina Uzumaki, the woman his sensei had been dating during the war. That combined with the boy's looks made it pretty clear who his parents were. Kakashi was going to have words with the Hokage when he got back, he should have been told his sensei had a son, as Minato-sensei's last surviving student he had a right to know.

He sneezed again before sniffling slightly as he tried to figure out just how he was going to explain this mess as well. Naruto had been within his grasp and he'd lost him again. Granted there were extenuating circumstances, but he'd been so close.

He was just happy that his team had been upstairs when the clone had arrived; Sasuke was still unconscious and recovering from his fight while Sakura was tending to him. He was having enough trouble as it was keeping the clients satisfied. The fact that the boy pretty much returned Wave to its people while giving him the finger had pretty much sealed the blonde in their good graces. His punching said finger-giving blonde had not gone over well. Still he'd managed, explaining it as one of his student's practical jokes and his knowledge of it as a clone. As for the clones that had rescued Tsunami and Inari, he'd just explained that Naruto sometimes went through a slight personality shift when he was fighting, becoming far more serious, and the other clothes were simply his battle attire. It had taken a lot of explaining but he'd eventually worked it all out.

"Sensei, Tsunami made you some soup." called Sakura as she entered the room, carrying a bowl of said soup, "I still can't believe that ice-user managed to get one over on you while she was escaping." she added as she set the bowl in front of him.

"As I've already told you Sakura, never underestimate your opponent. I shouldn't have rushed after her like I did in my weakened state." responded Kakashi as he got up to eat. "Could you go and relieve Naruto please, I need to speak with him?" Sakura nodded as she left the room.

Kakashi was just finishing his soup when Pakkun, still disguised as Naruto, walked in. "You needed to see me sensei? You look like crap by the way."

Kakashi only frowned before quickly using a jutsu to ensure they had some privacy and motioning for his ninken to drop the disguise. In a puff of smoke Pakkun was sitting in the blonde's position. "I need you to deliver a message to Iruka for me. He and his team need to learn what happened here as quickly as possible and you're the fastest ninken I have, I'll use a clone to cover for you. His team is supposed to be searching Fire's north-eastern border at the moment." instructed Kakashi as he handed the pug a scroll.

The pug sighed before accepting the scroll, allowing it to be tied to his back. "You sure about this Kakashi? The pup made it pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with Konoha anymore, keep chasing him and you're liable to make him an enemy."

"I know we messed up Pakkun," stated Kakashi seriously, before sneezing, "but he needs to be in Konoha, especially if he's sensei's son. He belongs there."

Pakkun gave his summoner a level look. "Kakashi, you of all people should know that everyone decides for themselves where they belong." stated the pug as he turned to leave with the message.

Kakashi simply sighed and created a Kage Bunshin to take over for Pakkun. He sincerely hoped they could find a way to fix this, sensei's legacy needed to be brought home.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

_(Trading Port of Hitode (Starfish), Same Time)_

The men and women working along the docks stopped their various activities and looked on as they watched what appeared to be a young and wealthy noblewoman exit a rather expensive looking yacht, surrounded by a retinue of bodyguards. The woman herself appeared quite young, probably no older than twenty, and was dressed in an elaborate, royal kimono combining red and blue silk and was carrying a red parasol in her off hand. The bodyguards appeared in uniform, all dressed in dark red body armor with a katana on each hip and a spear on their backs. Most of their heads were either covered by a helmet or a red bandana while their faces were blocked by red scarves wrapped tightly around their lower faces and necks. One of the guards, whose weapons and armor were slightly more ornate than the others, obviously the group's leader, was constantly at the lady's side.

The crowd was so enthralled by the display that they didn't notice the other seven figures sneak off the side of the yacht and merge with the gathered crowds before splitting up. While the 'visiting noblewoman,' would draw the people's attention, these seven clones would split up, each heading for a different destination before activating their disguises stored inside sealing scrolls.

One quickly located a local jewelry merchant. Finding a safe place to hide, he quickly unrolled the scroll and released the disguise held within. In a few moments the blonde shinobi was replaced by a brown-haired young man in fine but faded and worn clothing, carrying a large jewelry box; the very image of a merchant down on hard times and now forced to sell some of his wife's jewelry to help get by.

Two more found the local branch of the Fire Country Central Bank. One quickly changed into the faded but still high-quality armor of a mercenary, while the other was in a crisp lawyer's suit. The mercenary carried a check signed by Gatō's (forged) hand to pay for some work his crew did and the lawyer carried several documents approving several withdraws and transfers to pay for certain activities, as well as a transfer to help support a 'lady friend' of Gatō's.

The next found a local art dealer and quickly changed into a mousy-haired young man in normal clothing. Apparently this young fellow had acquired several pieces of artwork from his grandfather who recently passed and was hoping to sell them in order to gain some money to buy an engagement ring for his sweetheart and help start building their new life together.

Another clone had found a local pawn shop and quickly changed into a dirty, bedraggled man, who came in carrying a small bag full of several miscellaneous objects, claiming to have 'found' them in an abandoned house and hoping to make a quick buck off them to buy some drinks.

The final two clones quickly dressed themselves as nondescript young men and began hurrying through town, buying supplies for an upcoming trading expedition they were working for.

The town never even noticed these strangers sudden arrival or their even quicker exit, all eyes were on the young noble woman being led around the town by her bodyguards, occasionally stopping at merchant's shop or stall to inspect an item or two before either moving on or motioning for one of the guards to buy a particular item for her. The little display lasted for several hours before the head guard whispered something to the noblewoman, who nodded, pouting slightly, before the entire entourage turned and made its way back to the ship before heading out.

The 'visiting noblewoman and her mysterious guards,' would be the talk of the town for several weeks afterward, no one noting the several odd men who came in at nearly the same time and proceeded to sell a large amount of valuable property. Their existence overlooked by all but the merchants who'd managed to weasel a great deal out of a visiting roob who didn't know the value of the items they were selling.

Exactly as Naruto and Haku had planned.

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

_(Fire's North-Eastern Border, Few Days Later)_

Iruka was frowning to himself. Their trail had gotten cold again. _'No that's not right.'_ thought the man to himself. _'It's the same as it has been for the last few months. We haven't picked up hide or hair of Naruto since we departed from the port.'_ It had been relatively easy acquiring information on the ships that had left the small port over the last couple of days when they'd first arrived. The villagers had assumed they were there helping with the pirate problem and had been more than happy to help. Iruka had thought they'd been lucky when they found out that, due to the raids, sea traffic had slowed down significantly in the area, with only a half-dozen ships leaving the port over the time they suspected Naruto had been there aside from the local fishermen.

Sadly, since then it had been nothing more than a wild goose chase.

"The trio haven't found anything nearby Iruka, I'd say this was another dead end." stated Hana calmly as she landed next to him. "The strongest trail was back in Wave months ago, and that was barely a whiff."

Iruka sighed. "Fine, gather the others. We'll rest for a while than start making our way back toward Wave. I knew we should have searched the whole island."

Hana shook her head. "You know as well as I do that there wasn't enough evidence to support that scale of a search. His scent was barely there, like something he'd touched recently was nearby. For all we know it could have just been another one of those false trails he set up when this first started." responded the Inuzuka reassuringly.

"Wouldn't put it past him." stated Izumo as he and Kotetsu arrived on the scene. "Naruto's always been a tricky one, and I'll be damned if he hasn't gotten better since he left."

"Yeah, kid used to lead Anbu around by their noses for hours, leading them right into pranks he'd set up hours beforehand." agreed Kotetsu, "We've said it before and we'll say it again, with the world as his playground it's going to be close to impossible to catch him until he wants to be caught."

Iruka sighed heavily, he knew the two other Chūnin were right. Still, he felt the longer Naruto was gone, the worse their chances were of finding him and the likelier it was that he was dead or would never come back to Konoha.

A rustling in the nearby foliage instantly caught the four Chūnins' attention. A few moments later a small pug leapt out of the nearby trees and landed at their feet panting.

"Pakkun?" asked Iruka, having had some previous experience with Kakashi's ninken.

_*Pant Pant Pant*_ Just give me a _*Pant*_ minute. Been _*Pant*_ running for _*Pant*_ days." managed the small ninken, having used a lot of chakra and energy to get here so fast. It should have taken a week.

"Here" offered Hana as she handed the small ninken a cap full of water from her canteen.

"Thanks." grunted the pug between slurps. After guzzling the water he finally directed his attention to Iruka. "Naruto was in Wave…"

Iruka was already moving before the pug could finish his sentence.

"HOLD IT!" shouted the pug before the man could get too far. "He's not there anymore, he's got a boat of his own now and a traveling companion. I've got a scroll with the entire kibash on it!"

Iruka turned to face the small summoned animal and grabbed the scroll, before plucking up Pakkun and placing him on his shoulder. "Tell me everything you can." ordered the Chūnin as he resumed his rush for Wave.

_**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**_

_(Trading Port of Sōdo (Swordfish), Several Days Later)_

"Milady, it is time for us to depart." stated Naruto, fully disguised as the captain of the guard, his voice now rough and just loud enough for the surrounding people to overhear. "Your father has arranged a carriage to transport you the rest of the way."

The 'traveling noblewoman and her mysterious guards' had stopped at nearly a half-dozen trading ports along the coast over the past week and a half, always appearing as if the lady had simply ordered a stop to browse the local markets. Their disguises fashioned using a combination of clothing from Gatō's private stores, Naruto still couldn't figure out why the midget had such a diverse array of male and female clothing, the weapons and armor his clones had scavenged from the mercenaries guarding his mansion, and a few containers of hair dye and makeup. All in all it looked like the plan had worked flawlessly, and now it was time to put it to rest. This was to be their final stop, and they were ending it with a final bit of deception.

Haku looked over her shoulder at the half-dozen shadow clones holding the various objects she'd purchased at the ports they'd stopped at. "Very well." she stated in an exaggerated manner, acting every bit like a spoiled princess. "I suppose daddy will have to take me to the capital if I want to find something really nice."

"As you say my lady." agreed the disguised blonde with a deep bow, before escorting her and her bodyguard retinue out of town, where a large and elaborate horse and carriage awaited them, their boat having already set out a short while ago with plans to meet them later.

Haku was daintily helped into the carriage and the guard-clones quickly formed up around it before they set off, leaving the villagers to gossip about the traveling princess and her mysterious guards. Within a few weeks the story about how a young noblewoman had traveled up the coast shopping, always accompanied by her silent and mysterious bodyguards, would be the talk of the coastline. Their purpose a subject of endless gossip and the truth hidden safely beneath the veil or rumor and circumstance.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

They'd traveled less than a half-mile south of the port, heading for a small inlet where they planned to meet the ship, when the carriage came to sudden, grinding halt. "Um boss…we've got company out here." stated the clone driving the carriage. Naruto, who was inside with Haku, shared a look with his traveling companion.

"Think someone was stupid enough to take us for an easy mark?" asked Naruto.

"More than likely our new friends had someone in the port looking for targets and thought it would be worth the effort to kidnap a 'travelling princess.'" answered Haku as she studied her clothing, it would be nearly impossible for her to fight in this gaudy thing.

Naruto had obviously thought the same thing. "Stay here for a minute, me and the boys could use the exercise anyway." stated the blonde calmly as he stood up and stepped out of the carriage.

The dozen clones disguised as bodyguards were all waiting outside for him, and across from them, blocking the path they were traveling, was at least three dozen men, all dressed in scavenged armor and wielding clubs, machetes, spears, and a barrage of other low quality weapons. Bandits no doubt.

"Is there something we can help you with gentlemen?" asked the disguised blonde quietly as he stepped to the front of his clones.

"Yeah, you can hand over the bird and whatever money you lot got on you." stated one of the thugs, this one carrying an actual sword and wielding armor that actually looked whole. Given the comparatively high quality of his gear he was more than likely the leader of this little troupe. "Do it nice and easy and we'll let you lot live and take our ransom demands to the girl's daddy."

"So you are not only attempting to rob us…but also kidnap my girlfriend." stated Naruto calmly. After a moment's thought he responded, "My answer is this: **Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**! (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)" shouted the blonde, forming his favorite handseal, and in an instant another hundred shadow clones were added to the blonde's arsenal.

"Get rid of them." stated the blonde calmly, waving a hand absently over his shoulder as he turned and reentered the carriage where Haku was waiting and motioning for the driver to continue on. He mostly ignored the sound of bandits being massacred until he looked over his shoulder before reentering, "Oh, and bring anything valuable you find to the inlet so we can load it onto the ship." After all if they were going to try and rob him, it was only fair for him to rob them back. Karma could be a bitch that way.

Haku, who was watching from one of the carriage's windows, watched as two of the clones grabbed one bandit before a third started using his testicles for kicking practice. "Aren't they getting a bit too violent out there?" she asked Naruto as he reentered.

Naruto snorted. "They tried to take you from me Haku-chan, which means no mercy as far as I'm concerned." stated the blonde matter-of-factly.

Haku smiled at him. "As if they could." she stated softly as she leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Even so, it's the principal of the thing." stated the blonde indignantly as Haku drew him into a deep kiss, there was no more talking for a long time after that, and the screaming and pleading of the dying thugs was largely ignored by the two preoccupied teens.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

They arrived at a small beach less than an hour later, a rowboat and a clone waiting on them.

As Haku and Naruto stepped out of the carriage, it instantly transformed into its original state, over two dozen clones and another dozen acting as the horse team. As the carriage team started loading Haku's purchases into the rowboat, Naruto approached the clone from the ship.

"How'd things go in town?" asked the blonde.

"Just as planned boss." answered the clone. "We've sold most of what Gatō had in his collection by now, except for the most valuable stuff, which we're keeping until we can sell them for what they're worth. Overall about ninety percent's gone and we managed to at least double our cash from it. We've also managed to drain over three quarters of Gatō's accounts, half of it being transferred into mom's private accounts, the last quarter we weren't able to access without drawing too much attention to ourselves. We also managed to gather all the supplies we needed for our trip to Snow and have them safely stored in scrolls."

Naruto grinned. "Excellent work, combined with the distractions, it should at least make it a lot harder for us to be followed. Have the clones finished repainting the ship yet?"

"Almost boss." answered the clone "They were about half-way done an hour ago when I left so they should be finishing up by the time we get back. Black and blue are really becoming our signature colors, and the jade dragon design is looking magnificent."

"I got the idea from mom's diary. She says the jade dragon has been a symbol of our clan for generations, even longer than the red spiral."

"We'll need to get her recommissioned under her new name, 'The Jade Dragon.' Finding someone to forge the ownership papers will be a bit tricky.

"I actually have an idea for that," stated Haku calmly as she approached the pair, "but it can wait for a few months, it won't be necessary until we actually start travelling again."

"Glad to hear it Haku-chan." agreed the original blonde with a nod.

"BOSS!" shouted a new set of clones, the ones they'd left to 'handle' the bandits. Two were carrying sacks over their shoulders.

"Find anything good gentlemen?" asked the blonde leader, actually surprised his clones hadn't beaten them there. Travel by ninja was a lot faster than carriage travel, the only reason he and Haku hadn't done so was to keep up appearances… well that and it allowed them to make out while they travelled.

"Not really boss." stated the lead clone disappointedly. "After we 'convinced' them to lead us back to their base we found a few things. Mostly some cash, a few supplies, and a few bit and pieces that could be worth something." stated the blonde gesturing to the two sacks that were currently being loaded into the rowboat. "Other than that, everything else was junk."

Naruto shrugged, it was no real loss. With all the money they got from Gatō they wouldn't be hurting for cash for some time, so anything else would just be icing on the cake. "Alright, good work everyone. I'm taking Haku and the stuff back to the yacht, with all the stuff it's going to be a tight fit with just the two of us, so this is where we part ways."

The clones nodded before dispelling all at once. Naruto clutched his head at the sudden influx of information. "Why the kami do they always do that all at once? I think they do it just to get back at me Haku-chan." muttered the blonde as he rubbed his aching forehead. Thirty clones dispelling at once was just plain painful, at least the majority shared similar memory's, that made the absorption process easier, otherwise it would have probably knocked him unconscious.

"To be fair Naru-kun, you did just order them to basically kill themselves." stated Haku blandly, though she had a slight smirk on her face, as she sat in the boat, holding the umbrella over her shoulder.

"It's not like that Haku-chan, they're all a part of me, I'm just reabsorbing them." explained the blonde, as he joined her and began to row them out to where the yacht was waiting.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

Naruto had to admit, his clones did fine work. With a few minor cosmetic alterations and a new paint job and figure head the Jade Dragon, as he'd christened his ship, looked completely different from the fancy yacht he'd snatched from Gatō's mansion. Painted black with dark blue lines, she cut a much more imposing figure than the fancy gold and red she carried when Gatō had owned her. The jade green Chinese Dragon acting as her new figurehead, replacing the gaudy mermaid Gatō had originally had, was Naruto's personal favorite touch.

"All right you lot, full sail ahead for Snow Country!" ordered the blonde, getting several loud AYEs from his crew of two dozen clones as they got to work. His clones had quickly taken to sailing, and with their cumulative learning it wasn't long before each clone was a skilled and experienced sailor. After all, mistakes that killed someone didn't mean much when you just puffed into a cloud of smoke, and sent the memory of what to do directly to your crewmates and captain.

Leaving the actual sailing to his clones, Naruto went down below deck to unwind for a bit before starting training again. That was before he stopped in front of the door to his and Haku's cabin.

The reason why was the door was open…and Haku was inside…topless…giving herself a sponge bath…topless…in front of an ice mirror…did I mention she was topless? Naruto absently wondered why she was doing it since the ship had fully functioning showers, while trying to adjust his rapidly tightening pants, until he noticed the coy smile she was sporting while staring directly at him through the mirror.

'_That little minx, she's teasing me on purpose.'_ thought the blonde absently as he stepped into the room, closing the door securely behind him.

A shadow clone passing by a short time later heard soft moans and groans coming from within the room. Stopping to check if the boss and boss-lady were okay, he peeked through the door, only to be dispelled when he hit the other wall, blasted back via nose bleed rocket.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**TECHNIQUE IDENTIFCATION**

_Danpen Arashi_ (Shard Storm) – _Kōriwa attack power_. An offensive use of the Kōriwa's power, this attack forms a large number of razor-edged ice shards before launching them forward to strike at an opponent. With greater skill and control of Kōriwa, larger amounts can be created and launched faster.

_Shiro Taihō_ (White Cannon) – _Kōriwa attack power_. An offensive use of the Kōriwa's power, this attack forms a large projectile in front of the user's hand made of solid ice before launching it forward. With greater skill and control of Kōriwa, larger projectiles can be created, or the projectile can be launched faster with greater force.

_Eien Hōyō_ (Eternal Embrace) – _Kōriwa attack power_. By manipulating the Kōriwa's aura of ice to envelop an opponent, the user can then entrap them in a solid cocoon of ice. An opponent completely encased is put into a state of cryogenic hibernation temporarily but can easily die from the exposure if not released quickly enough, otherwise it merely entraps the opponent and risks freezing them to death if left trapped too long.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**END CHAPTER 6**


	7. Playing in the Snow

Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings

**Review Response**

**Leaf Ranger**: Not just yet, but they're getting close. As for the pairings, well I'm not sure on everything yet so you'll have to wait and see.

**Kyukon**: Don't get too used to the double updates, they're just there until I get caught up with the original work, after that it's all me and it'll probably take time to get them up.

**Hiei Uchiha**: Interesting suggestion, they're something to think on. As for the Mandarin think on it: the rings are only one point. the Uzumaki also studying Wushu, the ancient art of Chinese martial arts, and Fūinjutsu which is probably the closest thing the ninjaverse has to super science so they're still true to the Mandarin's overall powers.

**Reishin Amara**: Interesting ideas

**thanatos's-shadow**: Do you honestly think he could force Tsunade back, knowing how stubborn she is? No I have something different in mind.

**death5367**: Why does it have to be either or, why not both?

_**To everyone else who read and reviewed thank you for your time and attention**_

"Normal Speech"

'_Normal Thought'_

"**Demon/Large Summon Speech"**

'_**Demon/Large Summon Thought' **_

**Jutsu**, _Kung Fu Technique,_ _Ring Power_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or even the original idea for this story. All I own is any of my original ideas. **

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**Chapter 7: Playing in the Snow**

_(Aboard the Jade Dragon, Later that Night)_

The sky was bright and full of stars as Naruto walked onto the deck. Stretching and enjoying the cool breeze on the night air, the blonde felt renewed. The past few hours with Haku had been wonderful, awkward and fumbling at times yes but still wonderful. After lying with Haku for several hours, the blonde had felt the urge to stretch his legs a bit and had headed up to the deck. The clones were bustling about and ensuring the ship was keeping to its heading, several using the stars for navigation. Naruto couldn't help but smile, feeling all was right with the world.

Naruto suddenly frowned. No not everything was right, Konoha was still hunting him. The old man was obviously too stubborn to accept he would never rejoin that village, the village that had spat on both his parents' wishes. If they captured him now what would they do to Haku? Use her as a hostage to force him to cooperate…or something far worse? The mere thought sent fingers of rage and fear coursing through his body. _'I'll be damned before I let anyone from that village lay a hand on my tenshi!'_ mentally snarled the blonde.

But sadly there wasn't a lot he could do right now. His futile attempts to hold off Hatake back in Wave had proven just how far he had to go if he wanted to be able to protect anything. _'I need to get stronger, much stronger.'_ thought the blonde. The ship was too small for him to create his standard groups of clones to practice with; he barely had enough room on the foredeck to create one or two to practice with each of Rabbit, Crane, and Snake while he worked on Northern Mantis himself. He did have some clones working on improving their water walking by trying to keep up with the ship or using tree walking to run laps around the hull, but even that was far from enough.

Sighing to himself and taking a seat under a lantern hung from the mast, the blonde pulled out his mother's journal. He hadn't had a lot of time to read from it lately with the madness and work that had enveloped the past couple weeks, and now was as good a time as any. Flipping open the cover and skimming to his current page, the blonde began reading the next entry:

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_**Hey! Today was the big day; I finally got started learning ninjutsu from Grandma! **_

_**She had me meet her out in the garden after breakfast. She was sitting by the coy pond under the big cherry tree and motioned for me to sit down in front of her. She handed me a small slip of paper and told me to channel as much chakra into it as I could. When I did it split right down the middle and the sides started to get really wet and soggy. When I looked back up at Grandma after finishing she was smiling. **_

"_**The elements of wind and water flow strongly through the blood of an Uzumaki, and I'm pleased to see they flow through you as well." That's what she said. Then she started teaching me the first two exercises that the Uzumaki use to practice their affinities. **_

"_**For water, we first learn to control its form." Then she put her hand on the surface of the water and pulled it back up, a ball of water sticking serenely to her palm. "The first step it to be able to gather the water onto your hand and shape it into a sphere, then keep it in that shape while moving your hand. Once you've mastered that, you can begin shaping it into entirely new forms, until the water responds effortlessly to your will." While she was talking the water resting on her palm shifted into a cube, then into a pyramid, then into a miniature dragon before she placed it back over the pond and let the water drop. **_

"_**Wind is similar but different. Like water, we must first learn to bend the wind to match our will." Then she waved her hand at me and a sudden gust knocked my hair back. "The first step is to strengthen the winds our body creates through breath and motion. In time you will learn not only how to enhance the wind, but focus and sharpen it into a blade." when she said that she slashed her hand upward in a chopping motion and suddenly a limb from the tree we were sitting under fell down and bonked me on my head. She just laughed at me while I rubbed my head. (Now I know why she married Gramps, they're both sadists.) "These techniques not only teach our clan control over the winds, but form the basics of many of our jutsu, using handseals to further enhance the effects we train to create." **_

_**She said that from now on I'll be practicing fūinjutsu and ninjutsu with her in the afternoons and continuing my Wushu training with Gramps and Mom in the evening. Mom usually gives me lessons on etiquette and manners and all the other crap she says a kunoichi and a Daimyo should know (I know she means well but they're just so boring. I'm a fighter; I don't need to know how to host a flipping tea ceremony!) in the morning and Grandma's history and math lessons over the weekend. I don't get a lot of free time anymore. *SIGH* sometimes I wish I was like the other girls in the village, just worrying about chores, who's dating who, and how to get mom and dad to buy me whatever I wanted. Then I slap myself and say 'I'm an Uzumaki, this is what we do!'**_

_**Grandma says that the Uzumaki have a great destiny waiting for them. Grandpa agrees and says that we are meant for more than ruling a single island and acting as shinobi. Mom always frowns when she hears them talk like that, saying that we should be content with what we have, that shinobi clans weren't meant to be rulers in the first place. Gramps gets really irritated when she says stuff like that, muttering about 'Foolish Senju' again.**_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

Naruto was smiling as he finished reading the entry, before he noticed a small storage seal on the bottom of the page. Curiosity getting the better of him he channeled a bit of his chakra into the seal. In a puff of smoke a slip of paper appeared with a note. Grabbing both the blonde opened the note and began reading.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_**Hello my little Maelstrom, its mom again :)**_

_**If you're reading this then you probably just finished the section of my diary talking about my first ninjutsu lesson. I've included a slip of chakra paper in the seal so you can test your own affinities. Hopefully you'll get my affinities so you can train like I did, but there's a chance you'll inherit your father's lightning affinity instead or maybe even both. If you do get your father's affinity start reading his diary (or journal as he prefers to call it) I had him start writing it soon after we got engaged, telling him to write anything he wanted to teach our children in it. The goof made a fuss but I finally got through to him. **_

_**Anyway if the paper splits you have wind, if it gets wet you have water, if it starts crinkling you've got lightning, if it starts burning you have fire, and if it starts crumbling into dust you have earth. (Though I have no idea where you'd get either of the last two, but weirder things have happened.) **_

_**Sincerely Kushina Uzumaki (aka Mommy). **_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

Naruto smiled softly. "Thanks for thinking ahead mom." he whispered to himself as he picked up the slip of paper and began channeling chakra into it. The paper quickly split in half, one half began getting damp while the other started crinkling. Naruto smiled to himself. "Looks like I got the best of both worlds." stated the blonde softly as he began to read again, he'd have to find his dad's journal later, it was probably still sealed with the rest of the books from his house's library

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_(Snow, Several Days Later)_

They'd finally arrived. Haku was right, the narrow little cove hidden by high cliffs would have been nearly impossible to find if he hadn't been using shadow clones walking on the water to scout the area. He'd lost another dozen of them bringing the Jade Dragon into the harbor, using them as buffers to prevent her from hitting the rough cliffs. As soon as they'd landed he'd sent out another dozen clones to scout the area.

The place was a small, circular valley, surrounded on all sides by thick cliffs except for the docks that marked the southwest corner and a narrow pass that was currently blocked by ice and snow in the northeastern corner. The valley was mostly covered in a thick pine forest in the central and western portions while the eastern edge seemed to have been clear-cut and turned into a large snow valley to connect the village to the pass. The village and mine took up most of the southeastern edge of the valley, with the a large path cutting through the center of the snow plain and a second narrower path cutting around the southern edge of the forest connected the village to the docks. The village itself was small, no more than a couple dozen cottages, two abandoned stores, a warehouse obviously used to store whatever came out of the mine, and what looked like an inn that also served as the town hall. The mine itself, which was about a quarter-mile south of the village near the valley's southeastern tip, was carved into the thick cliffs surrounding the valley and was currently boarded up.

He and Haku had decided to turn the old inn into their home while staying here; it was the largest and sturdiest building left and had suffered little damage from being abandoned. It had taken another work team of about a half-dozen clones a bit more than an hour to get it up to ship shape while another group spread out and started searching the other buildings for supplies. While the clones were working he and Haku were exploring the area personally, hoping to get a feel for the place that would be their home for the foreseeable future.

They were both dressed in thicker clothing, purchased by the clones in the ports, Naruto wearing a thick dark blue overcoat and Haku a thicker battle kimono. They were currently walking around the village, helping the clones explore while their new home was being repaired.

"Well we won't have to worry about fresh water." stated the blonde casually, indicating a well near the center of the village. His clones had already tested it and given it the all clear. Another odd fact about his clones, while they didn't need to eat or drink themselves they could still imbibe food and water and be affected by any toxins that were in it. "And some of my clones say there's still coal in the mine, just not a lot of it. Combined with the woods we won't have to worry about fuel."

"With the clones we should easily be able to clear some space near the village for us to train in. The wood will be most useful for repairing the other buildings if we need them." agreed Haku with a nod.

"Us?" asked the blonde curiously.

"Of course, you didn't think I was going to let you do all the fighting from now on? I am going to be by your side through all of this, so I need to keep in shape. While you work with your family's scrolls, I can work to improve and develop my own jutsu. I'd also like to borrow a few of your clones to help me with my taijutsu as well." stated Haku seriously.

Naruto could only smile at her, this beautiful creature that had stolen his heart. "Of course Haku-chan, I'm sure the boys would be glad to help." agreed the blonde, knowing it was best not to argue. She'd fight beside him, never staying behind where it was safe if she had a choice. She would throw herself in harm's way just for him, and just like he would do for her.

While they hadn't gone 'all the way' yet, the time they'd spent on the ship had allowed both to learn a _lot_ about each other, both physically and mentally.

"We've got plenty of food, both canned and fresh from the ports and what Gatō had in his mansion so we shouldn't have to worry about restocking for several months." continued the blonde.

"Not to mention fresh fish from the port and open water and anything that lives in the woods; that is if the people who lived here before didn't over-hunt the area." agreed Haku thoughtfully. "What about defense? While this place is fairly isolated, I don't want to risk someone stumbling onto us, particularly when the Daimyo has taken such a harsh view on outsiders." There was basically a kill-on-sight order for anyone in Snow without proper permission. It made staying here a bit of a risk, but it also made it less likely that someone would look for them there.

"I've already got some of the clones working on a seal array I found. It's called the **Shishō Kanchi Kekkai **(Four Symbols Perception Barrier). After my clones place a set of seals on each corner of the valley, I'll be able to sense whenever another human being passes over its boundaries." stated the blonde proudly. "That should make it a lot easier for us to avoid detection by anyone passing through."

Haku nodded. "That will be most helpful. Have you had any luck with your newest ring?"

"Haven't got a chance to practice with it yet, I didn't think it would be too smart to start messing with fire while on a wooden boat." stated Naruto with a grin.

"Agreed." stated a smiling Haku.

"I was planning on looking through my mom's diary later to see what she managed to learn about the Kasaiwa. Hopefully there will be enough to help me start my training with it." stated the blonde thoughtfully as he fingered the ring resting on his thumb. "I've also got to start practicing for my family's ninjutsu techniques, as well as find dad's journal and see what he has about training my lighting affinity. Not to mention keeping up with my Wushu studies, I'm over halfway done with Northern Mantis and should be able to start Southern Mantis in a few weeks once I really start training again."

She smiled at him. "At least our time here won't be boring." she stated softly as she leaned in to kiss him.

"Yeah, who needs boring?" responded the blonde as he leaned into the kiss.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_**It's Kushina again.**_

_**I know it's been a while since I last wrote, but with ninjutsu training starting combined with everything else is really starting to get exhausting. I'm just glad I've got the Ryūjinchi **_(Dragon King's Blood) _**backing me up, I'm sure a normal person would have keeled over from exhaustion by now.**_

_**Anyway, I've been working hard and things are advancing well. Grandma says I'm getting better with Fūinjutsu, and that with more work I'll be able to start learning Fūton and Suiton ninjutsu soon enough. I've still got to master forming the water into a perfect sphere and holding it like that before I can start learning Suiton techniques, and I need to be able to create a gust of wind just by waving my hand in order to learn Fūton. It's rough going, but I'll get there eventually. I still wish I could start learning actual techniques sooner, but Grandma says I have to walk before I can run.**_

_**I've increased the weights on my arms and legs to forty pounds each so my physical training is going good. I also just finished Northern Mantis and am moving on to Southern Mantis. (I still don't know why there are two of them and Gramps just says that's the way they were developed.) Unlike Northern Mantis, Southern focuses a lot more on power than precision, focusing a lot on short, powerful strikes with the entirety of the upper body (including elbows, which are something I've never used in a fight before). The only kicks used in the style are low kicks. Grandpa says that's because Southern Mantis focuses a lot on footwork. 'The hands and arms are used for offense to both strike out at an opponent and defend the upper body by countering and deflecting attacks, while the lower body uses movement to control the user's range and strong footwork to both protect the body as a whole and increase the power of its strikes. Kicks are kept low, short, and quick so the user is never left off-balance and thus vulnerable.' is how he described it. Mom doesn't like this style, says it's more like street fighting than actual taijutsu, but I think it's wicked. The form weapons are a pair of matched Jī Zhuǎ Lián **_(Chicken Claw Sickles)._** (They look a lot like the Kama I've seen some foreign ninja carry, but they've got a smaller, spear-like blade coming from the back.) Gramps says that if I get good enough with them I can even throw them in combat. **_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

Naruto sighed to himself as he learned a bit as he reread through some of the older entries in his mother's diary. He was really starting to form an idea about what his family had been like, at least on his mother's side anyway. He was even starting to form a picture of them in his mind: His Grandmother, a delicate, feminine woman with strength behind her beauty. His Grandfather, an honorable and noble man determined to keep his land safe and running smoothly. His Great Grandparents, crotchety but wise old beings with great ambitions for both their family and their clan.

Closing his mother's journal the blonde stretched slightly from his spot on the small walkway outside the inn. It had been just under a month since they arrived in Snow and he'd finished Northern Mantis a couple weeks ago and started on its Southern counterpart. His clones had cleared out the warehouse, finding several useful tools to help clear out some outside training space, and transformed it into a dojo so they could practice their Wushu without worrying about inclement weather. With over two dozen clones now constantly working to master Rabbit, Crane, Snake, and Northern Mantis the large space was definitely necessary.

He also had another half-dozen constantly working by the docks to help him master his water manipulation, while yet another half-dozen were working on his wind manipulation outside of town. Another half-dozen were working on the lightning manipulation notes he'd found in his father's journal. The blonde smiled as he thought back to the first entry in his father's yellow-bound diary:

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_**I can't believe Kushina-chan is making me do this! She says it's really useful for organizing your thoughts and helping record how we trained for the next generation. She said she wanted it to be something our kids could learn from if something happened to us, but personally I think she's being paranoid. Then again after what happened to Uzu I can't really blame her for that. So anyway…**_

_**Hello, my name is Namikaze Minato, future Yondaime Hokage and currently engaged to the love of my life who is forcing me to write this journal. (I refuse to call you a diary, Jiraiya-sensei would never let me live it down if he thought I was writing a diary) **_

_**First a bit about me I guess. I am currently 23 years young, standing at 5'10" with bright blonde, constantly spiky hair (if my children are reading this and have inherited it from me, I deeply apologize and wish you'd inherited your mother's beautiful red hair as well) and blue eyes. My wife believes I can look quite effeminate when I want to, but I disagree. I am a Seal Master, a ninjutsu, particularly Raiton ninjutsu, and Shurikenjutsu**_ (Shuriken/Projectile techniques)_**master, and can hold my own in most other fields of ninja arts. **_

_**If my child or children are now reading this and what Kushina was afraid of has happened, know I love you with all my heart. **_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

Naruto smiled again at the memory. While his father's journal hadn't been the treasure-trove of knowledge and teachings his mother's was, it still provided him with a lot to learn from. While he was currently focusing on learning what he could about his lightning affinity, there were several jutsu his father had mastered and a couple he'd developed himself in the bindings of that little yellow book. He could already feel his aim getting better with his shuriken and kunai from his father's notes and training guides on shurikenjutsu. He'd shared those with Haku as well and now they were both improving rapidly.

He looked up and watched as Haku practiced her own form of taijutsu, a style that specialized in using her impressive speed and combining it with quick and fluid movements. It actually reminded him of the way the ice flows in the docks moved.

They were both getting stronger, that was a fact, but in the end would they be strong enough? Konoha was still hunting him and Haku was now a target by extension. Hatake was stronger than him even while still tired from fighting Zabuza and Gatō's goons. The question was, were they at least strong enough to get away?

"You're thinking too hard again Naruto-kun." stated Haku softly as she approached him, pulling him from his thoughts.

"I know Haku-chan," agreed the blonde, "but there's a lot that could go wrong. Konoha is hunting me and now you're caught up in this as well. Depending on who they send after us we might not be able to escape."

Haku sat softly next to blonde. "Whatever happens we will overcome it together." she stated serenely. "Have you found out anything new about your newest ring?"

Naruto shook his head in reply. "Mom's journal doesn't have a lot on it, probably because it and the other eight were lost centuries ago so all the information she could find on it was hearsay and ancient records." answered the blonde dourly. "It's supposed to be the most innately destructive of the Ten Rings, a weapon that can burn entire forests into ash with a single gesture. It supposedly can bend flames to its will and shape them to suit my wishes. It generates heat like the Kōriwa generates cold and can literally create fire out of thin air, using its own energy as fuel. It also renders me immune to flames and heat, just like the Kōriwa protects me from ice and cold." stated the blonde as he held his hand up and examined the aforementioned piece of jewelry.

"I've been able to test out a bit of its power already, and it seems to have a lot of those abilities, but it's more…willful than Kōriwa. Controlling the flames is much more difficult than controlling ice, but they're actually easier to create. I still need more practice if I'm ever going to master either ring." finished the blonde morosely.

"These things take time." stated Haku calmly. "It isn't something your clones can help you with, it is a trial all your own and I am sure you will succeed."

"How can you so much faith in me?" asked Naruto blandly. "I couldn't save Zabuza, and I barely got us out of Wave in one piece."

She smiled as she leaned in closer to him. "Because you are a good man Naruto Uzumaki and I know you will never give up." she whispered gently.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_(Ship, Weeks Later)_

"Are you sure this is where he's heading?" asked Hana as she huddled into the heavy parka she'd put on to protect herself from the cold. Her ninken were sealed safely in scrolls to keep them from causing a disturbance or revealing the group as shinobi

"It's our best bet at the moment." answered Iruka calmly, the cold not seeming to bother him as much as his companions. "It took us weeks of searching just to narrow down the path they took. I have to admit the distraction they used was very clever, but it was also a classic Naruto move. Draw everyone's attention away from what you're doing with an even bigger spectacle. He used it a lot when he was pranking in the Academy."

"Yeah, like the time he painted 'Vacancy' on the outside of the Hokage's tower just to draw everyone outside so he could plant about a thousand stink bombs all over the place." agreed Izumo with a grin. It had taken weeks to get the smell out and it still lingered in a few corners, a lingering testament to the blonde's skill.

"Or the time he acted like he was going to use a stack of exploding tags he'd managed to swipe from somewhere to blow his face into the Hokage Monument, just to draw out the Anbu so he could clog every sink and toilet in their command center and flood the place. _*Snort*_ Weren't their cheeks red when they found out the tags he'd used were all fakes." added Kotetsu as he tried to swallow a laugh. Naruto always could give the _elite_ Anbu a few lessons in humility.

Iruka was slowly nodding his head. "Drawing nearly everyone in town's attention to a supposed visiting noble surrounded by mysterious guards was a good distraction, if we weren't looking closely at the shops that bough the stuff taken from Gatō's manor and heard how the sellers came in at the exact same time as the princess at every port we'd have missed it. Combined with the few surviving bandits we found outside Sōdo and it all makes sense." If he hadn't known how Naruto's mind worked as well as he did, they'd likely have never noticed it.

It was an advantage of being one of the few people in Konoha to actually get to know the boy.

"Still why someplace like Snow?" asked Hana getting them back to the original question.

"It's isolated and easy to hide in," answered Iruka, "just like Wave. My guess is he's looking for some place to train. Why and what for, I still have no idea."

"I still say he'd go someplace warmer." offered in a shivering Kotetsu.

"Yeah, some place with beaches, rum, and scantily clad women." Izumo agreed with his long-time partner and friend.

Hana snorted before glaring at the two eternal Chūnin. "I highly doubt Naruto thinks like you perverted half-wits."

Iruka chuckled to himself. "I don't think Naruto would know what to do with a woman if she was sitting in his lap."

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Naruto and Haku's Hideaway, Same Time)_

Naruto melted into the kiss from Haku as she straddled his waist. The two of them had given up any pretense of training for the day before kicking the clones out of the Inn and practically dragging each other up to their room. Naruto's hands were currently wandering along Haku's waist before slowly moving toward the sash that kept her kimono closed and her sweater tucked into her skirt. Since they'd arrived she'd taken to wearing clothing similar to her shinobi uniform, not only was it better for training but it was more suited for this kind of climate.

Haku only let out a low, pleasurable moan as Naruto nibbled and licked his way up her neck, aiming for a spot just behind her ear.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Back at the Ship)_

"He never showed much interest in girls outside his crush on Sakura." stated Iruka fondly before chuckling. "I used to wonder if that boy had even gone through puberty yet."

"You forget he's now got a female travelling companion if what Kakashi suspects is true." stated Kotetsu with a grin.

"Yeah, and who knows what those two are doing together." added Izumo. The two chūnin shared a look before chuckling perversely.

"Oh get your minds out of the gutter you two, I highly doubt they're doing that and Kakashi's not even sure they're still traveling together." growled Hana, before turning to Iruka. "So what's the plan?"

"We need to search Snow and to do that we need to speak with the current Daimyo. Actually I should call him a warlord given the recent reports of what has been going on in that country and what Kakashi was able to tell us." answered Iruka. "We'll also need to keep our heads down, particularly since he's not too fond of Konoha shinobi."

"Why's that?" asked Kotetsu.

"Because a team of ours, led by Kakashi, tried to prevent the coup de ta that got him into power in the first place." answered Iruka coldly.

"Oh." stated Kotetsu dumbly. "So what's the plan?"

"We'll be playing the part of merchants looking for a new market and hoping to look around and see if we can find some interested buyers." answered Iruka. "I'll be the head merchant, oldest son of the business's head, you two are my younger brother and brother-in-law who my father instructed to teach the family business." instructed Iruka, directing his attention to Izumo and Kotetsu, who nodded their agreement.

Hana gave him a look. "And what am I supposed to be? Your sister?"

Iruka blushed a bit before chuckling. "Uh, how do you feel about wearing a dress kimono and playing the part of a merchant's blushing new bride?" he offered nervously.

Both Kotetsu and Izumo began backing away slowly as Hana let out a particularly savage sounding growl.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Naruto and Haku's Hideaway)_

Several clones were milling around outside the inn, unsure of what to do after being rushed out by their creator and his lady. Every once in a while they'd hear a moan or a giggle coming from the place's second floor.

"Uh, anyone got any ideas of what we should be doing now?" asked one of the clones. After a few moments of getting nothing but disagreement, the clone continued "Think one of us should go in and ask the boss?"

A particularly loud moan caused all the clones to shake their heads negatively. Dispersal by chronic nosebleed was not a way the clones wanted to end their existence.

"Maybe we should start cleaning up around town? Boss said that we could probably find a way to use some of the larger buildings if we can fix them up." offered one of the clones.

"Oooooh Naruto-kun." Haku's low pleasure-filled moan seemed to echo in the quiet air.

"Sounds like a plan to me." stated the first clone as he hastily penned a note and stuck it to the inn's door with a kunai.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_(Naruto and Haku's Hideaway, Several Days Later)_

Haku knew that Naruto only wore a jacket for her sake, to help assuage her worries about his health. The Uzumaki bloodline made it nearly impossible for him to get sick and combined with the powers of the Kōriwa and Kasaiwa, the blonde could probably stand out in a blizzard naked without getting so much as a cold. That particular thought brought a blush to Haku's cheeks.

Haku's own bloodline made her resistant to the cold, but she wasn't one to tempt fate and wore her thicker winter clothing.

'_Well that and the way the clones kept staring at me when I came back from my workout made me self-conscious.'_ she added to herself thoughtfully. She hadn't even realized why until she'd returned to the Inn where Naruto was waiting. The blonde took one look at her before falling backward sporting a titanic nosebleed. That was when she noticed that the thin, white shirt she'd worn was now transparent due to melted snow and sweat and she hadn't worn her chest-bindings since they'd left Wave.

She was currently watching him go through a new form of training called _Tiě Zōnglú_ (Iron Palm). It was one of two new training forms his mother's journal had introduced, supposedly practiced in all forms of Wushu. Iron Palm training concentrated on strengthening the striking points of his hands, arms, feet, and legs by repeatedly striking a sandbag filled with iron sand or a similar substance while constantly circulating his chakra through the striking limbs. The circulating chakra helped restore the damage done to the limbs by the exercise faster while also hastening the strengthening process. It was also supposed to help him improve the accuracy and control of his strikes by constantly repeating the motions of the strikes and allowing his body to fall into a meditative state and release the stress from the repeated movements, allowing for easier flow and control of each strike.

The other one, called _Tiě Shān_ (Iron Shirt), which was focused on strengthening the body itself and making it more resistant to damage. From what she'd seen it focused a lot on meditation and focusing chakra to specific areas of the body while maintaining stances usually with heavy objects or weights placed atop the focused zone.

She watched the blonde go through a combination of strikes and punches on a training post wrapped in iron-sand bags for a few more minutes before he stopped. Taking a final deep breath the blonde stepped back and relaxed before he began massaging his hands. "Even with my healing and the chakra circulation, this Iron Palm stuff hurts like a bitch." muttered the blonde to himself before he noticed he had an observer. Smiling the blonde waved to his girlfriend. "Hey Haku-chan, how are you doing?" he called in greeting as he approached.

The young Hyōton user smiled back as she stepped forward to greet him with a quick kiss. "Fine Naruto-kun. It looks like your training is going well."

"Yup, so far so good." agreed the blonde. "These new training exercises hurt like hell, but I can't argue with the results. Mom's journal says that if I can master them completely I'll be able to break steel bare-handed with a good strike and a lot of weaker attacks won't even be able to break my skin anymore. That and Southern Mantis is progressing well, I think I'll be able to start the next style within the next month or so. I seem to be mastering the newer ones faster with each other style I practice." stated the blonde thoughtfully.

"That makes sense." agreed Haku, "They are all part of the same overall style so mastering each branch should help you master the others quicker."

"I guess." Naruto shrugged. "So how's your own training going?"

"Good, my taijutsu is improving quite handily and I'm doing quite well in honing a few of my jutsu to a better edge. Those scrolls your father left are also helping me better develop my skills with senbon as well. Are sure it's alright if I use them?" responded Haku worriedly. She knew how much Naruto valued his heritage, and didn't to offend him by trying to learn something his family had kept secret.

"What's mine is yours Haku-chan, besides I prefer ninjutsu and face-to-face fighting to shuriken and kunai throwing, so it's best if someone gets some real use out of them." stated the blonde with a shrug. His dad's scrolls weren't clan-based stuff like his mom's so he didn't see a point in getting over protective of the stuff, and it wasn't like he wasn't learning anything from them himself anyway.

"How is training with the rings going?"

Naruto suddenly sported a face-splitting grin. "Oh man, I was going to show you later but since you're already here I've got to show you now! I just made the coolest discovery about the rings!" shouted the blonde excitedly as he began leading Haku away before turning over his shoulder to shout at the clones in the dojo "Oy, keep it up for another hour before starting to dispel guys, I'm going to show Haku what we figured out earlier using the rings!"

"Got it boss!" came the combined shout from within the dojo.

Naruto shook his head. "You know at first it was creepy how they all answered together like that, but now it's just starting to get annoying." stated the blonde.

Haku simply giggled again, the blonde's interactions with his clones were always quite amusing.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Snow Field Outside Village, Short Time Later)_

The two teens quickly arrived at a clear spot on the snowfields a good bit north of the village. Resting near the center was an extremely large fire pit dug into the earth with raised sides to keep melted snow from flowing in. Haku noticed that the pit looked like it had been used recently. She must've missed the smoke since she was near the docks working on her own jutsu all morning.

"Naruto why have you dug a giant fire pit in the middle of a clearing?" she asked curiously.

"It's part of the discovery I made about the rings." stated the blonde with a grin. "I noticed that I was learning to work with the Kōriwa a lot faster since we arrived here. I thought it was just me getting better until I noticed it only happened when I meditated outside. That gave me an idea; maybe it was working better because I was surrounded by its element: ice! So I had the clones dig a big fire pit and lit it before I started working with the Kasaiwa earlier and it worked!" proclaimed the blonde happily. "This means to improve my training with each ring, I just have to be near a big enough amount of the right element; fire for the Ring of Fire, snow and ice for the Ring of Ice."

"I see." stated Haku sagely with a slow nod of her head. It made some sense, she supposed, that the rings would react better when around their native element.

"Hey check out what I can do with it." stated the blonde as leapt away from her to get some distance between them. "Watch this: _Akamuchi_! (Red Whip)" the Kasaiwa instantly glowed bright red before a whip of burning flames manifested in the blonde's hand. With a crack the blonde sent it flying out, burning through a section of a nearby log. What was surprising was the rest of the log didn't ignite or even seem to smolder from the nearby heat. "I can control the flames to make sure they don't spread unless I want them to. As long as I've got the Kasaiwa any fire I can see will only burn what I want it to." explained the blonde, his grin growing ever broader.

"Impressive." stated Haku with a small smile, always glad to see him so energetic.

"I've noticed that the Kasaiwa doesn't do solids very well. I can mostly only get the flames to form simple shapes before they start to collapse on themselves. Flame Golems are a no-go so far, but I hope they'll come along when I get better with it. What's really cool is that all I need is a single flame to start with, and then I can make a lot more a lot faster, like this." explained the blonde as he cracked the whip again. "_Netsuya_! (Heat Darts)" Instantly a half-dozen small darts of flame leapt from the whip's length, heading straight for…

…a defenseless snow rabbit.

Haku was already moving before Naruto could try and stop his attack.

A scream pierced the snowy valley.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Ship, Same Time)_

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Hana, her eyes were focused on the back of her team leader, who was currently dressed in the dark blue dress kimono of a middle-classed merchant, rather than the port they were rapidly approaching. The man had been on edge since they'd received Kakashi's report, ever since they'd found a trace of Naruto.

"No, it's not a good idea, but it's the only one we have." stated Iruka sadly as he stared off into the distance.

Hana sighed to herself. They'd had this discussion three times since they'd first boarded the ship after obtaining the false papers they'd need to pass as merchants from a messenger-hawk. The identification were for Iruka Umino, his new wife Hana Umino, and their respective brothers Kotetsu and Izumo, natives of Tea Country and members of the Floating Leaf Trading Family, a small-time trading group operating out of Degarashi Port. The trading company itself was one of several shells that Konoha kept up just for occasions like this.

Hana looked down at the dress kimono she was currently wearing while her ninken were still sealed in their scroll. Kami above and below she hated clothes like this, she could barely move and doubted she'd be able to fight without ripping the outfit to shreds and fighting in her underwear.

Turning her attention back to Iruka, she asked a question that had been on her mind for a while. "Iruka, do you honestly think you can convince Naruto to come back willingly? Remember what he told Hatake on the bridge…"

"Naruto hates Kakashi for failing him on his second attempt." stated Iruka quickly before his head slumped down again. "Besides, what else can I do?" he asked looking toward her. "I failed him as a teacher for the past three years. I ignored how much he'd had to go through before we met and never offered as much help as I could have just so I wouldn't look like I was showing favoritism. I was nearly too late to help him in the end and then this happens. I've got to do something!" he practically shouted before sighing. "You and the others are free to go back whenever you want to, but I'm not stopping until I can at least talk to Naruto face-to-face unless the Hokage himself orders me too."

"Iruka…" started Hana softly, only for Iruka to cut in again.

"I failed him Hana, even after telling him how much we were alike, knowing what he had to be going through, I did nothing until the very end. If I'd done something, anything, maybe he'd have never left."

"You can't believe that Iruka. You can't shoulder all the blame for him leaving. Hell you don't deserve the smallest scarp of it!" argued Hana as she squeezed her friend's arm gently.

Iruka looked at her sadly. "If one person had treated him with kindness, helped make the burdens and loneliness easier do you think he would have stayed?

"What about the Hokage?" asked Hana, "He looked after Naruto didn't he?"

"The Third had been lying to Naruto for years about the fox, which probably made him no different in Naruto's eyes." stated Iruka softly.

Hana scowled. "One person can't make up for an entire village treating you like crap Iruka, one person can't make it all better." she whispered forcefully. Seeing him look away she asked a different question. "What are you going to do if you find him and he doesn't want to come back? Technically there's nothing we can do to force him."

Iruka looked away sadly. "I don't know Hana… I just don't know."

Hana sighed; this was so not going to be easy. She cared about Iruka deeply. He'd always been her friend, even during the Academy and the last few months with him had deepened her affections for the gentle, kind-hearted teacher. She knew how much this was bothering him and knew the only thing that would bring him any peace would be talking to Naruto. "So I'm your wife, recently married so if I don't react to Umino I can just say that I'm still not used to it. The two dunderheads are our brothers who've been best friends for years and were the ones who first introduced us. What are we selling?"

"Sake." replied Iruka calmly, getting into character as the approached the port.

"You're a sake merchant?" questioned Hana, slightly surprised by his choice of carreer.

"Everybody drinks sake, there's not a nation in the world that doesn't have someone who wants a good, stiff drink." responded Iruka.

Hana rolled her eyes but couldn't argue with his logic.

As the ship rolled into port a half-dozen soldiers led by a single ninja came aboard. "Line up for inspection and have your papers ready!" called out the shinobi.

"Showtime." whispered Iruka softly, hoping his acting skills hadn't gone to the dumps. "Remember dear, we need to keep calm and act like happy newlyweds. Okay cuddle lumps?" he offered with a cheesy smile.

Hana growled lowly and her grip on Iruka's arm turned suddenly painful. "Keep the pet names to yourself dearest or I swear you will never reproduce and definitely not enjoy the honeymoon." growled the Inuzuka quietly.

Iruka gulped before repasting the smile on his face. "Of course dear." he offered shakily.

She nodded before relaxing her grip and Iruka let out a silent sigh of relief.

'_We just need to keep things calm and keep our searching as discreet as possible. Once we get away from the main cities we should be able to move a lot more freely.'_ thought Iruka calmly before his attention turned to the island in front of him.

'_Please let me find him before something happens.'_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

"Haku!" screamed Naruto as the air was filled with steam from the rapidly melted snow.

His breath eased as the steam cleared and he caught sight of an ice mirror, slightly softened around the edges but otherwise undamaged. He'd seen these things take worse hits in some of his and Haku's spars and she'd always come out fine in the end.

"I'm fine." Haku's voice came from directly behind, causing the blonde to rapidly spin around. Floating a few feet away was a second ice mirror with Haku standing in front of it, lightly clutching her kimono around her stomach.

Naruto rushed forward in an instant, embracing her in a strong hug. "By the Kami, you scared the crap out of me." he whispered as he pulled her close, before pushing her back. "Are you hurt?" he asked quickly scanning her for injuries, praying he hadn't hurt the one person who…

He stopped and stepped back when he noticed a floppy ear poking out of her kimono. Haku slowly extracted the white-furred snow rabbit from her kimono and cuddled close to it, attempting to soothe the frazzled animal's nerves. "I didn't hit you?" he asked quietly, wanting to be sure she was safe.

"No, but you certainly scared the hell out of this little guy." stated Haku calmly as she petted the rabbit, which visibly relaxed in her embrace.

Naruto blinked before shrugging. "That's good, and looks like we'll be having fresh rabbit for dinner." he stated happily.

"WHAT!?" shrieked Haku in shock, clutching the rabbit to herself. "You are not eating my new pet!"

"But…but…but…" stuttered the blonde, trying to put his thoughts to words, "rabbit…dinner…tasty!?"

"No, bad Naruto!" ordered the dark-haired ice user before, much to Naruto's surprise, she flicked him on the nose before reentering her ice mirror and disappeared back to the Inn with her new pet.

Naruto just stood there rubbing his assaulted proboscis and wondering why Haku got so worked up when it came to rabbits. _'They taste great as long as you cook them right, and it's not like she doesn't have a whole contract full of them anyway!' _Haku's summons, while mostly useless in a fight, were still quite useful for espionage and scouting. No one paid attention to a little bunny rabbit hoping by unless they were hungry or thought it was cute. _'Maybe it's a summons thing, you can't eat the thing you summon or some weird rule like that?' _thought the blonde absently as his gaze fell to the two rings on his fingers.

'_I've got to work on my control, I can't let anything like that happen again.'_ vowed the blonde, his soul lightened now that he was sure Haku was alright.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

JUTSU IDENTIFICATION

**Shishō Kanchi Kekkai **(Four Symbols Perception Barrier) – _B-ranked kekkai (barrier) ninjutsu/fūinjutsu_. A form of barrier ninjutsu that allows the user to sense any chakra presence above a certain level (i.e. humans, summons, and certain species of nin-beasts) entering or within the barrier's area of effect. In order to activate this technique, seals are placed at the four corners of the barrier's area of effect before activating the entire array and linking it to its creator.

_Akamuchi_(Red Whip) – _Kasaiwa attack power._ A basic attack form of the Kasaiwa, it forms a long whip-like extension of flames that burns through anything it touches in a similar manner as a blowtorch. User can control its length at will and decide whether the strikes it hits cause further flames. With greater control the whip's path can be altered and controlled while in midflight.

_Netsuya_ (Heat Darts) – _Kasaiwa attack power_. A basic attack power of the Kasaiwa, it forms a number of dart-like bursts of flame that can be launched at opponents. The exact number and strength of these darts is determined by the user's skill with the Kasaiwa.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

END CHAPTER 7


	8. Avalanche!

Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings

**Review Response**

_**To everyone else who read and reviewed thank you for your time and attention**_

"Normal Speech"

'_Normal Thought'_

"**Demon/Large Summon Speech"**

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**Jutsu**, _Kung Fu Technique,_ _Ring Power_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or even the original idea for this story. All I own is any of my original ideas. **

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**Chapter 8: Avalanche**

_(Naruto and Haku's Hideaway, Weeks Later)_

Naruto sighed happily to himself as he laid in bed, Haku curled up next to him. The two had decided to take the morning off to recuperate and relax a little, which meant cuddling and lots of it, something Naruto enjoyed almost as much as Haku.

It had been over two months since they'd arrived in Snow and things were still progressing well. Naruto himself had started picking up some of the lower level ninjutsu from both his mother's and father's scrolls. Like their fighting style, the Uzumaki ninjutsu techniques were based on animals, using them as inspiration for most of the different jutsu. His father's scrolls, which focused mainly on Raiton ninjutsu and Shurikenjutsu, were more mainstream, though his notes on _Jikūkan_ (Space-Time) ninjutsu were intriguing to say the least. His fūinjutsu training was also going well; at least he thought it was. He was still improving his calligraphy while advancing slowly to more complicated seal arrays. He'd recently increased his own weights, now clocking in at about fifty pounds per limb, and was had on the sixth form of Wushu from his mother's journal, Dog, a couple weeks ago. It seems that starting the sixth style was a big deal to his clan according to his mother's journal.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

**_Hey again, things have been going great since last time I wrote. I've FINALLY gotten to start learning actual ninjutsu and a few new seals from Grandma, and she even says we're going to start learning to advance my seals to the next level soon as well so my afternoon lessons with her are getting a lot more interesting. Morning lessons with mom and weekend lessons are still boring as hell, but I'm learning to suffer through them. But the biggest news is that I just finished Southern Mantis and starting on Dog, which is apparently something major. _**

**_Gramps says that the first six styles, Rabbit, Crane, Snake, Northern and Southern Mantis, and Dog, each represent one of the six core attributes of Wushu. Rabbit represents Speed. Crane represents Grace and Agility. Snake represents Fluidity and Flow. Northern Mantis represents Precision. Southern Mantis represents Power. And Dog, the one I'm about to start, represents Stability. Gramps says that these six traits represent the core ideals of Wushu and that as I progress into the more advanced of the Twenty Terrestrial Beasts (That's what the clan calls the first twenty forms of Wushu) I'll start learning to combine these aspects into a single form. He took me aside later and told me that after I master all twenty I'll be able to take my Wushu to a level only a true Uzumaki can. He made sure mom wasn't around to hear that. He said that since Mom married into the clan she's not allowed to learn anything beyond the twenty terrestrials, which seems to annoy her…a lot. He also said that my training with the Eighteen Arms (That's all the weapons used in our fighting style) will become more advanced as I progress. I once asked him why the two styles don't have weapons and he laughed saying: "The first and last don't use weapons for different reasons. The first to help learn to fight without a blade, the last to help turn the body into a blade."_**

_**Anyway back to Dog, it looks really interesting. It focuses a lot on takedowns, ground fighting, and specialized leaps to cover ground, knock opponents either back or down, and to quickly regain your footing. The stances themselves are really solid, and it seems to really focus on knocking an opponent to the ground, either by striking the legs or knocking them over, before finishing them off while either maintaining or quickly regaining your own footing. Gramps says that a dog will knock its foe to the ground before biting out its throat, that is how it fights and how the style fights as well. Its weapons are a pair of matched fighting clubs or batons called Zhuó. They may look simple but they are wicked in a fight, and Gramps says they're just as useful for balancing and fighting on the ground.** _

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

Naruto sighed silently to himself. The more he learned about his clan, the more complicated it became, and the more it seemed he had left to learn. Still progress was progress and he had started on Dog, which was a brutal style but one the blonde quite enjoyed.

Haku was also working hard. She'd found a text on medical ninjutsu in the storage scrolls and had restarted her training in the medical arts with a new fervor. She already had a great grasp of herbal medicine and human anatomy to suit her fighting style, but now she was working to advancing into actual medical ninjutsu. Naruto had had a couple clones turn one of the outlying buildings into a medical center where she could practice in peace; she also had several fish brought in to be used for practice each morning, before they'd turn them into part of supper that night.

Naruto had also taken one of the outlying buildings and turned it into a fūinjutsu lab to help advance his studies on the sealing arts. Haku had made him do it after his experiments had blown up the room he was using at the inn…twice.

A soft thumping sound broke Naruto away from his thoughts. Staring down, he saw Buffy, Haku's new pet snow rabbit, staring up at him from the floor, mocking him with its tender, tasty flesh. He never understood why Haku wouldn't let them eat the damned thing, and the one time he'd jokingly tried Haku had turned him into a pincushion and barely talked to him until he'd made her favorite dinner as an apology, including an extra-large bowl of carrots for Buffy. For now Naruto made do with simply growling at the rabbit, which cocked its head at him, obviously unafraid of the gesture.

Haku's hand lightly slapped his chest. "Don't even think about it." she muttered against his side.

"But Haku-chan," he mock whined, "just one swipe and we'd have fresh roast rabbit."

Haku snorted before reaching down and picking up her pet before placing it on his chest, smiling as he growled again. "Don't worry about him Buffy, he's bluffing. He's a big softie on the inside, isn't he?"

"I am not!" argued the blonde, which was ignored by both the kunoichi and rabbit.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

_(With Iruka's Group, Same Time)_

"So where do we start our search?" asked Hana. It had taken them weeks to secure a meeting with the Daimyo in order to get permission to travel his lands and open trade negotiations with any willing merchant they found.

'_Fucking bastard charged us a small fortune for the 'privilege' too.'_ she added to herself mentally. _'I hope Hokage-sama is flipping the bill for this mission otherwise Iruka probably just wiped out his personal savings to pay for it.' _

"We start at the coasts and start moving in." stated Iruka as he studied the map of Snow they'd been provided with. "Since he has a ship now it only makes sense that he'd stick close to some place he'd be able to keep it. We can probably ask around the ports if they've had a ship matching the one Naruto's been using at the docks for an extended time."

"But last time he avoided the village and any contact with the rest of the island." offered Kotetsu thoughtfully.

"Yeah, what if he's doing the same thing here, like finding a natural cove or an abandoned port to anchor in?" agreed Izumo.

"If that's the case we'll either pass by it while we circumnavigate the island, or at least hear about a possible location from the locals. After we find them we can investigate them on our own afterwards." answered Iruka.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

_(Outside The Valley, Same Time) _

Two figures, one male one female, were standing outside the snow-choked entrance to Naruto and Haku's valley, both apparently shinobi by their dress. Both were dressed in one-piece bodysuits of blue, grey and white material. The male figure was large and thickset with dark blue-black hair and black eyes apparent inside his faceguard. He had pieces of metallic armor covering his shoulders, a massive gauntlet and arm guard covering the majority of his left forearm with rest covered by bandages while the other arm was mostly covered by a dark purple sleeve, a blue and white yin-yang symbol on the center of his chest, and what appeared to be a folded snowboard strapped to his back. The female figure was slightly shorter than her companion and very lithe, with short pink hair sticking out her gray helmet and bright green eyes. Her uniform seemed to fit more tightly than her companion's, showing off her feminine frame, her left forearm was covered in bandages while her right arm was covered in a purple sleeve similar to her teammate's, and she had what appeared to be a rounded, rectangular metal plate with the same blue yin-yang symbol as her partner resting in its center in resting between her shoulder blades.

"Are you sure this is the right place Fubuki?" asked the male figure as he stared at the blocked off passage. "Doesn't look like any normal person could get in there until the thaw."

"This is the spot our people said they saw the smoke coming from Mizore." stated the female figure, now identified as Fubuki. "Besides, according to the old maps there's a small port inside the valley connecting to the sea, that's probably how they got in."

The male figure, Mizore, merely grunted his acknowledgement. "So we going in now or should we wait?"

"We wait for the morning. I don't want to risk crossing these mountains after sunset." stated Fubuki, before she smirked. "Besides we need to plan our attack, no sense rushing in without any idea what we're doing."

Mizore merely grunted again.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

_(Naruto and Haku's Hideaway, Next Morning) _

"Shit!" shouted Naruto as he stood up from the table. He and Haku had been sharing a warm breakfast before starting training when the blonde had suddenly stood and started cursing.

"What's the matter?" asked Haku as she also stood up.

"Two presences just entered my barrier, and judging by how fast they were moving I'd say they have to be ninja." responded the blonde as his hands quickly formed a ram seal. Closing his eyes in concentration to check his barrier, they quickly snapped open again. "Double shit, they're heading straight for the docks and the ship." growled the blonde as he quickly gathered his equipment, luckily they were both already dressed and ready to leave for training.

"Can we beat them there and escape without a fight?" asked Haku as she readied herself for combat just like her beau.

"No." grunted Naruto as he quickly grabbed his weapon belt. "They're moving too fast, even if we left everything behind and ran full out we'd probably only be able to beat them there by a few minutes, not nearly enough time to get the ship out of the cove or even ready to leave." The blonde quickly formed his favorite handsign. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" instantly another dozen blondes appeared. "Start gathering everything and move it to the ship as fast as possible before preparing to pull out." ordered the blonde as the clones set to work. "Our only chance is to intercept them before they reach the docks. It's not worth the risk of losing our ship by fighting there. Best case, we can either handle them ourselves or convince them to let us go without a fight. Worse case, we hold them off long enough for the clones to get the ship ready before making a break for it."

"Agreed." stated Haku as she donned her hunter-nin mask. She always did that when she was ready to fight. "Hopefully we'll be able to talk our way out of this but if not…"

"If not we'll do what we have to do." agreed the blonde as he finished his own preparations. With a shared nod the two teen shinobi set out, hoping they'd make it out of this safe.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

_(Pine Forest, Short Time Later)_

"Why are we heading for the docks again? Wouldn't the village be the smarter place for our prey to hide?" asked Mizore as he and his partner leapt through the trees.

"Yes, but if we take out their boats first then they'll have no way to escape. They'll be like mice caught in our trap." stated a smirking Fubuki, before she and her partner suddenly leapt back, avoiding a barrage of senbon that planted itself in front of them.

"I'm afraid we cannot allow you to do that." stated Haku calmly as she and Naruto appeared on another branch a short distance away from the two.

Fubuki raised an eyebrow as she studied the two teens. "You two certainly don't look like rebels, and we'd have certainly heard if they had any shinobi in their ranks."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What the fuck are you talking about, and why are you even here?" asked the blonde. He'd already released his **Hyōryō Shishifūin ** (Four Limbs Weighing Seal), and was ready to fight if it came down to it.

Mizore simply stared at the two teens. "One of our informants noticed a large amount of smoke coming from this valley, we were sent to investigate and see if it was being used as a rebel hideout." answered the large man.

'_Shit.'_ mentally cursed the blonde. _'They must have seen the smoke from my bonfires. I thought we were far enough away from any settlements that it wouldn't be noticed.'_

"As you can plainly see we are not rebels, simply a pair of _Wutari_ (Wandering) shinobi using an abandoned village to rest and recuperate in." stated Haku calmly, "If you will simply allow us to, my partner and I will depart. There is no need for further violence."

Fubuki smirked before shaking her head. "Sorry little girl, but our orders are absolute. Intruders are to be either captured or eliminated, either way we can't let you go. You and your little boyfriend can come along quietly and if you can prove your story to Lord Dotō you might even be offered a chance to join _Yukigakure_ (Village Hidden in/by the Snow) as real ninja. Otherwise my partner and I will have to get rough." she finished lightly cracking her knuckles

Naruto growled. That was not an option to them, particularly after what they'd heard about Dotō and his ninja-thugs. "Not going to happen lady." responded the blonde.

"Good." grunted Mizore as he suddenly launched himself forward, bringing his armored fist at Naruto in a sucker punch. The blonde was able to form a cross-block before it hit, but was still knocked backward into the tree-line by the impact of the blow. "I need a good fight, wiping out rebels gets pretty boring after a while." stated the Yuki shinobi as he leapt after the blonde.

"Naruto-kun!" shouted Haku as she prepared to follow, only for Fubuki to appear in front of her.

"Sorry girlie, but your fight is with me," stated the grinning Yuki kunoichi, "and like my partner said, I've been hoping for a good fight for some time, so try not to disappoint me."

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

_Naruto vs. Mizore_

_(Eastern Valley) _

Naruto rolled backward as he landed on the soft snow, rolling to gather momentum before springing back to his feet in a low crouch. '_That bastard packs a punch, better not get hit head on.'_ groaned the blonde mentally as he regained his footing and tried to ignore the soreness radiating through his arms, even with his Iron Shirt training that had hurt.

Speaking, or thinking as it were, of the devil. Mizore appeared out of the surrounding woods, moving extremely fast by riding on what appeared to be a snowboard. That was extremely odd since they were on a flat plain, so a snowboard shouldn't have been able to build up any kind of momentum. Before the blonde could puzzle it out the larger ninja was upon him, attempting a haymaker blow.

Naruto quickly ducked and weaved around the charging attack, using his own speed and agility to outmaneuver the bulkier Yuki shinobi. Just as quickly as he appeared the Yuki shinobi disappeared back into the forest, only to quickly reappear from a different angle and try the same attack again. The process repeated several times as Naruto quickly got the idea behind the attack

'_So that's his game?'_ thought Naruto as he dodged another strike. _'Hit and run, hit and run until something manages to hit. That snowboard of his gives him a nifty little speed boost, but it doesn't look like he can make sharp turns that easily. Still, the trees keep me from keeping track of his movements, making it harder to avoid his attacks and not allowing me any time to counter before he disappears again. I could probably escape into the trees, but with that crazy muscle of his there's a chance he could bring one down with me in it, and that would not be good.' _

Deciding to get out of an area that favored his opponent's fighting style, Naruto leapt eastward with Mizore hot on his heels. It wasn't long before the blonde exited the forest onto one of the larger snowfields that made up the eastern portion of the valley. He was already going through handseals when Mizore exited the forest behind him. "**Suiton: Jagawa! ** (Water Release: Snake River)" shouted the blonde. Instantly a mass of snow near him melted into water before bursting forward in an undulating stream shaped like a snake.

The larger nin only smirked as he held up his armor-covered forearm to block the attack. As soon as the snake came within a half-foot of the armor a flare of light appeared around the Yuki-nin and the snake dissolved back into harmless water. "What the…" muttered the blonde as he leapt backward to further the distance between him and the larger ninja

"Nice try brat, but this chakra armor of ours protects us from ninjutsu and genjutsu. It also boosts a few of our better jutsu. Like this," sending chakra into his snowboard to boost its speed, Mizore shouted "**Bakusō: Gōriki Hyōda**! (Roaring Run: Great Strength Ice Strike)"

With a roar the Yuki nin was launched forward at impressive speeds, closing the distance between them in less than a second and launching a punch directly at the blonde, catching him in the chest and sending him flying into the wall of the valley…only to explode in a puff the smoke on impact.

Now it was Mizore's turn to stop and go "What the…?"

Naruto suddenly burst out from beneath the snow and struck the man with a rising punch. "_Shēng Qǐ Táng_! (Rising Mantis)" shouted the blonde as his fist connected with Mizore's jaw, sending him into the air and off his snowboard. "If ninjutsu and genjutsu won't work, then it's a damn lucky break I'm really good with taijutsu then." stated the blonde as his foe landed in the snow a dozen feet away. With another movement the blonde brought his foot down in a harsh snap kick that broke the snowboard in two. "Let's see how you measure up without your little toy to help you."

Mizore easily regained his feet and wiped his now busted lip with his non-armored arm. "You're going to pay for that one kid." grunted the irritated nin as he fell into a low fighting stance, spreading himself out.

Naruto smirked as he fell into his stance. "I'd like to see you try." responded the blonde.

_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_

_Haku vs. Fubuki _

_(Western Valley)_

Haku struck first, releasing a barrage of senbon at the pink-haired Yuki kunoichi who easily leapt away from the needles, before countering and throwing some kunai of her own. Thus the fight began, the two kunoichi rapidly trading thrown weapons, Fubuki's kunai verses Haku's senbon.

The two leapt from tree to tree, never giving their opponent time to get a proper bead on them while they constantly tried to pull a successful hit on the other.

Haku landed on another branch, dodging another barrage of kunai before she leapt into the air and began to spin. "**Hari no Enkei**! (Circle of Needles)" shouted the dark-haired kunoichi, launching two barrages of needles, one directly after another. Fubuki prepared to dodge, only for the second barrage to strike the end of the first, sending them in a tight circle around her. Only then did she notice the exploding notes wrapped around each needle.

"Crap." muttered the kunoichi as the notes went off simultaneously, seemingly engulfing her in a massive explosion.

Haku landed on the ground a short way away. "I'm sorry about that, but you left us no choice." offered Haku before her instincts kicked and she dodged another set of kunai flying at her from above. Looking up she saw her opponent flying just above the tree-line, the small pack on her back now unfolded to reveal a pair of mechanical, bat-like wings.

"Nice try girlie, but not nearly nice enough." stated the pink-haired shinobi as she started a set of handsigns. "Now let me show you one of my tricks. **Tsubame Fubuki**! (Swallow Snow Storm)" Instantly the snow on top of the tree formed into over a dozen razor-edged ice swallows that quickly flew downward, aiming directly for Haku.

Haku's eyes widened at the use of her clan's special jutsu before she quickly formed a pair of handseals of her own before holding her hands up, palms out. "**Hyton: Kōri Enchō**! (Ice Release: Ice Dome) Instantly the air around her began to freeze and crystallize, forming a semi-transparent dome of ice all around her.

The ice swallows quickly flew at the dome, striking it from all angles before shattering into hundreds of little pieces, not even scratching the dome's surface. As soon as the attack ended Haku dissolved her dome, not wanting to waste chakra maintaining it longer than she had to. She glared up at the flying kunoichi. "How are you able to use Hyōton?" she hissed quietly.

Fubuki was more than a little surprised by Haku's own use of Hyōton before her usual smirk returned to her lips. "I should be asking you the same question, but I think I already know the answer. I've heard of a clan in Kiri that had a bloodline that allowed them to use Hyōton without snow or ice nearby just by applying their own _special_ chakra, but I thought they were wiped out in the genocides. I take it you're a survivor of that clan?"

Haku's only answer was to send a barrage of needles at the flying girl, who didn't even bother to dodge. Instead the pink-haired kunoichi merely raised her hand, and when the needles approached, the air shimmered with light before they each bounced off, deflected by some unseen shield. "A neat little benefit of our chakra armor, not only does it block any ninjutsu and genjutsu that get near us, but with a brief application of chakra we can block most projectiles aimed at us as well. Still, I'll take your little temper tantrum as a yes. That's most interesting. I think I need to bring you to Dotō-sama alive, I'm sure he'll find _some_ use for that nifty little gift of yours."

Haku knew what the other kunoichi was implying and a cold shiver of rage and disgust slithered down her spine. "I will be long dead before I allow you to take me to the slime you call a master." responded the younger girl coldly, her eyes hardening like ice behind her mask.

Fubuki only smirked. "You know I was hoping you'd say something like that."

_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_

_Naruto vs. Mizore_

Naruto and his opponent were currently locked in a fierce taijutsu battle. Mizore had several advantages over Naruto. He was bigger, stronger, tougher, and had more battlefield experience. But Naruto on the other hand was faster, more agile, and his own style seemed superior to Mizore's. So far the battle was acting as a stalemate, neither able to completely overcome the other's strengths. Mizore seemed to be unable to land a solid blows, while Naruto's attacks couldn't break the older shinobi's guard.

Naruto sidestepped another hammer blow from Mizore, before gathering his momentum and taking another step forward while striking out with a straight punch. "_Táng Máo_! (Mantis Spear)" snarled the blonde as he buried his fist in the larger nin's gut, knocking the breath out of him and doubling him over. Naruto instantly continued, spinning around the doubled-over shinobi's side before striking with a descending heel kick to the top of the shinobi's head. "_Hè Jiàng_! (Crane Drop)" Sending Mizore to the ground where he shattered into a pile of ice and snow.

"Don't think you're the only one who can use clones brat!" roared the larger ninja as he pounced on Naruto from behind, emerging from one of the surrounding snowbanks, and delivering a nasty roundhouse punch that the blonde barely managed to block with one arm. The impact still sent the blonde tumbling backward and he could have sworn that at least one bone in his arm was cracked by the impact.

Finishing his rolling tumble in a crouch the blonde quickly drew a trio of shuriken with his good arm before letting them fly and forming five quick handseals, wincing at the pain it caused in his injured arm. "**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**! (Shuriken Shadow Clones Technique)" shouted the blonde as the three shuriken rapidly turned into sixty, all flying directly at the Yuki nin.

Mizore growled as he raised his armored arm, blocking the swarm of projectiles with his defensive barrier, before swinging it forward, aiming the metallic limb at the blond like a gun. In a burst of steam the hand connected to the arm, which rather than armor seemed to be some form of prosthetic limb, was launched forward, connected to the remainder of the arm by a strong cable. Naruto was caught off guard by the sudden attack and couldn't even dodge before the metallic hand wrapped around his waist. "Let's see how you like this you brat!" snarled the larger nin "**Bakuretsu: Hyōzankuzushi**! (Explosion: Ice Mountain Destruction)" roared the Yuki nin as he began spinning Naruto around on the end of the cable before roughly slamming him into the ground, forming a large crater in the thick snow.

Mizore quickly recalled his hand, rewinding the cable effortlessly, before approaching the crater containing the remains of his target to take a look at his handiwork, only to find an empty crater. "Where the hell is that brat?" snarled the Yuki shinobi before Naruto once again burst out of the snow behind him, this time with his good arm outstretched to grab the larger nin.

"Right here asshole, now let's see how much your fancy armor protects you from Fūinjutsu!" snarled the blonde as he grabbed hold of his enemy and activated the seal he'd painted across his arms, compacted into a single seal in center of his palm and hidden by his glove. "**Shishō Yokusei Fūin**! (Four Symbols Restraining Seal)" Instantly lines of sealing script spread from beneath his glove, onto his extended fingers, then onto his opponents form, attempting to cover Mizore's body in chains of seals. Only when one of the lines connected to the blue yin-yang symbol on the center of his chest the device began to spark madly.

"What the hell?" shouted both shinobi as they noticed the now dangerously sparking piece of machinery.

Naruto instinctively leapt backward as the sparks became even wilder and larger, attempting to avoid being electrocuted and instinctively knowing that those sparks were not a good thing, while Mizore, still paralyzed from the seal, could do nothing but watch as his armor's main control circuit continued sparking more and more violently, sending larger and larger arcs of both chakra and electricity out until…

**_*KABOOM*_**

The snow-nin was consumed in a massive explosion, the shockwave knocking a retreating Naruto back several dozen feet into a nearby snowbank.

"Mental note." grumbled the blonde as he regained his feet and removed himself from the snowbank he'd been launched into. "Do not apply fūinjutsu to weird gadgets without knowing how they will react. It could blow your ass up." noted the blonde before he leapt off, looking for Haku.

_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_

_Haku vs. Fubuki _

Haku leapt to the side, avoiding another barrage of kunai from her aerial opponent. Since Fubuki had taken to the sky, the fight had taken a deliberately one-sided turn. With her opponent now airborne, immune to most genjutsu and ninjutsu, and able to block any projectile she threw at her, there wasn't much Haku could do but run and dodge.

'_I need to clip her wings if I'm to have any hopes of winning this fight.' _decided Haku as she tried to plan out her next move, only for a pair of kunai to land at her feet, each with a small blue ball attached to one end. Leaping back on instinct Haku barely avoided the massive ice-shard that seemed to grow from the detonating explosives. _'I really need to find out how she makes those, maybe Naruto-kun and I can copy them if I find samples.'_ thought Haku absently as she prepared to attack.

Leaping into a clearing, followed closely by the airborne Fubuki, Haku quickly drew four senbon, each wrapped with an exploding tag before launching them at the Yuki kunoichi and beginning a set of handseals. The pink-hair shinobi merely smirked as she raised her barrier again, only for it to drop in surprise as a round ice mirror appeared less than a foot in front of her, blocking the path of all four senbon, before the needles flew straight _into_ it, passing through the reflective surface like rippling water. "**Hyōton: Hyōkyō Ikō**! (Ice Release: Ice Mirror Transition)" proclaimed Haku.

While Fubuki's attention was fixed on the large mirror in front of her, two new, smaller mirrors appeared less than a foot behind her, one directly behind each wing. The surface of each mirror seemed to ripple for a second before the absorbed senbon passed back through, two through each mirror and, seemingly losing none of their momentum from the brief journey between mirrors, quickly pierced both wings before exploding, sending a stunned Fubuki falling to the ground.

Fubuki, while momentarily dazed by the sudden explosion against her back, quickly recovered her wits enough to activate a small switch and jettison her now useless wings before realigning her fall to land on her feet on one of the higher branches at the clearing's edge. Growling to herself at the destruction of her favorite tool, she began a set of handseals before leaping to the ground. "**Hyōrō no Jutsu**! (Ice Prison Technique)" shouted the Yuki nin as she fell. As soon as her feet touched the ground the ice and snow both above and below the ground began to form a rapidly moving trail of pillars that headed directly for Haku.

Haku attempted to leap to the side to dodge, only for the ice pillars to swerve with her before completely enveloping the dark-haired kunoichi in an icy shell.

Fubuki smirked as she approached her captive. "I'll admit you've got some skills for a little girl honey, but you're no match for an elite chūnin of Yukigakure." stated the woman pompously as she approached the ice pillar, only to find what appeared to be an ice sculpture instead of Haku trapped inside her jutsu. "What!?" snarled the Yuki nin as she stared inside.

"**Hyōton: Kōri Bunshin no Jutsu**. (Ice Release: Ice Clone Technique)" stated Haku's voice calmly from all around the clearing. "Now I believe you are the one who is trapped Yuki-ninja-san."

"I don't think so girlie, or did you forget your little needles can't even touch me?" responded Fubuki snarkily, seemingly unfazed by her opponent's scare tactic.

"That would normally be so, but I wonder, is that blue symbol on your uniform important?" asked Haku calmly, her voice still nonchalant as it echoed around the clearing. "I only wonder because it is sparking quite violently."

"What?" snarled Fubuki, quickly turning to look over her shoulder, only to discover her main power converter had four senbon piercing right through it, and was now sparking wildly with electricity. "When did you…"

"At the same time my explosive senbon destroyed your wings. I used my **Kage Senbon no Jutsu ** (Shadow Senbon Technique) to hide a second group of needles behind the first, and transported them to a third mirror directly over that symbol. The explosions from my notes simply masked the impact as well as clipping your wings." explained Haku calmly as she began gathering her chakra and performing handseals for a final technique.

"How did you know that the converter was so important?" asked a now panicky Fubuki, who was now rapidly scanning the area looking for a means to escape.

"I did not. I merely thought to eliminate another piece of your flying apparatus, but it seems I have done much more." stated Haku serenely as ice and snow began to rise and melt into a thousand long water needles all around the clearing. "Now this fight ends. **Sensatsu Suishō**! (Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death)" in an instant the needles flew straight for the downed Yuki kunoichi.

Fubuki didn't even have time to scream as hundreds of needles of water impaled her from all directions, she was merely dead before she hit the ground.

"Again I am sorry this had to happen." apologized Haku as she stepped out to inspect her defeated opponent. She found several of the ice bombs she'd used earlier and placed them in one of her pouches for Naruto to study later, hopefully the young Fūinjutsu user would be able to replicate their properties; they'd be most useful for her fighting style. She also noticed a scroll, somehow undamaged by the attack and sealed with a blood seal. Taking one of her needles and dipping it in the blood of her opponent's corpse Haku applied it to the seal, unlocking it. Inside was something she found most useful: Hyōton ninjutsu.

It seems her opponent had been studying, and had brought along a scroll of several techniques with her, believing the blood seal would be enough to keep them safe. _'How arrogant.'_ thought Haku absently, but it was for her benefit. She noticed the two techniques her opponent had used against her as well as several others. This would be most useful for her bloodline training; it wouldn't be too difficult to adapt them to work with her bloodline rather than existing ice and snow.

"Haku-chan!" Naruto's voice echoed across the forest.

Haku quickly put the scroll in her pouch as well, before turning to greet her boyfriend. "I am right here Naruto-kun, I take it your opponent has been defeated as well?" she asked calmly after embracing him, before noting his pain expression, "You're injured?" she asked worriedly

"Yeah, big and ugly managed to get in a lucky hit, think it cracked my arm. I got him in the end though" agreed the blonde. Haku immediately went to work using her new healing technique to help accelerate the blonde's already advanced healing. The blonde noted the corpse in the snow nearby. "Looks like you had yours handled well enough, no injuries?"

"A few minor scrapes and cuts, nothing I can't heal with a few moments of effort." answered Haku as she focused on his arm. "Did you find anything useful on your opponent? Mine had an interesting form of explosives I'd like you to take a look at, as well as a scroll on Hyōton ninjutsu." questioned the young Hyōton user absently as she worked.

"Afraid I couldn't, the bastard went and blew up on me when I tried to use a seal on him. This armor of theirs may be strong, but it's really unstable. It went _Kablooy_ after I applied a simple restraining seal to it. " grossed the blonde. "Maybe the higher ranked ones have better armor or its still experimental." he added thoughtfully

"My opponent claimed she was an elite chūnin, and I can only assume her partner was as well, I doubt they'd risk them with experimental equipment." stated Haku calmly as she finished fixing his arm. You don't risk elites with experimental and possibly dangerous gear; you risked genin and other lower-ranked fodder.

Naruto nodded, stretching his now healed limb while taking note of their opponents' rank. "We'll need to leave now. It won't be long until someone notices these two are gone and someone stronger comes looking. I really don't feel like getting involved in a fight with an entire shinobi village over an abandoned mining town, do you?"

"No, we should definitely depart as soon as possible. Have the clones finished moving everything to the boat?" agreed Haku calmly, while she'd enjoyed their time here both had known it was only temporary.

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment before nodding. "Mostly, we should be ready to set sail soon after we get to the port. Your pet bunny's safe in her cage by the way."

Haku smiled. "I knew you liked Buffy." she stated warmly, kissing his nose before turning and heading to the docks.

"Yeah, I like her, I'd like her even more over an open fire." muttered the blonde under his breath before he followed her.

_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_

_(Team Iruka, Same Time)_

Iruka sighed to himself as he stood on the helm of the ship he and his team had charted to take them around Snow's shores. He'd spent most of the night studying the map and older records he'd managed to acquire after a small contribution (aka bribe) to the head of Snow's records department, he once again thanked Kami that the Hokage was personally financing this mission or he'd be broke by now and unable to do a thing, and it had left him feeling extremely weary. There were dozens of abandoned mining villages all over the coast, each mined out or closed down by Dotō's orders as the man tried to fuel his expanding military engine. Each one would be a perfect place to hide for someone like Naruto.

"Something the matter dear?" asked Hana as she approached him, still dressed as the merchant's wife. They wouldn't be able to leave character until they were well away from the capital and the large number of ninja guarding it.

"Nothing my love, just a bit overwhelmed by the vastness of this new venture." stated Iruka calmly. Most would think the young sake merchant was simply overwhelmed by the responsibilities place on him to scout out an entire country for business, but Hana was able translate. Searching all of Snow for Naruto was not going to be easy.

She gently looked at him. "Is it really that bad?" she asked him softly.

"There are dozens of places for a good deal to hide, and that's just along the coast!" stated Iruka irritably, "It's going to take a lot of luck to find our golden deal before it disappears."

Hana nodded softly before placing her hand on his shoulder. "I have faith in you dear, we'll find what we're looking for." she promised before kissing him on the cheek and turning to leave.

Iruka was left rubbing his cheek, wondering if it was just Hana getting into her role or a show of actual affection. He groaned, just what this mission needed, another complication.

_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_

_(Hokage's Tower, Konoha, Same Time) _

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed slowly to himself as he sipped his herbal tea, this particular brew designed to ease stress and worries. Something he sorely needed since Naruto had disappeared over five months ago. Things had been bumpy at the start but Pakkun, with some assistance from Kakashi and his shadow clones, was able to hide Naruto's disappearance from the majority of Konoha, but Hiruzen knew these kind of acts couldn't go on forever, particularly in a village filled with people trained to root out deception. It was just lucky that Naruto had so few people close enough to him to be able to spot the differences easily.

The thought of his predecessor/successor's legacy being so alone that the only people to even come close to noticing were a pair of civilians working at a small ramen stand quickly soured the Hokage's mood.

Then Kakashi had returned from Wave, in a very poor mood and with a _very_ good idea about who Naruto's parents were. It seems the boy had learned how to wield his mother's ring somehow, not to mention somehow starting to learn her clan's unusual fighting style. Hiruzen had no idea where he'd even gotten the thing, let alone learned how to use it. Most likely the letter; that Kami-accursed letter! The one-eyed jounin had been quite displeased when he learned that his sensei's legacy was also his son and he had not been informed, believing it was his right to know as the Fourth's final surviving student. The aged Fire Shadow had tried to explain the importance of keeping Naruto's heritage a secret, after letting the silver-haired elite vent for a few minutes, which had mollified the jounin somewhat. Still the man was in a foul mood for some time afterwards and had extracted several promises from the Hokage involving Naruto when the boy was finally returned.

"Why didn't I just destroy that thrice accursed letter when I had the chance?" he whispered to himself as he stared into his cup. Sadly, it only took a moment's thought to remember the truth. If he had destroyed the letter, he'd have to admit, even just to himself, that he had betrayed Kushina and Minato, and that was something Sarutobi could never do. As long as that letter existed he could say he was simply waiting for the proper time to give it to Naruto, that the boy simply wasn't ready for it yet; that he was staying true to his promise.

Now Iruka had discovered a lead as to where Naruto was most likely hiding. He'd supplied the man with the funds he needed to procure passage throughout Spring and to acquire any information he need. Given the fact that this mission was off the record and on a private nature, he'd been forced to offer the funds from his own pocket. After all, it wouldn't do if someone spotted the large number expenses going into what was supposed to be nothing more than a simple long-term search and recon mission. Luckily, as Hokage he was paid directly by the Fire Daimyo, who was a very generous patron, so personal funding wouldn't be an issue for some time. If anyone in his family asked he'd simply state the funds were going into a personal project.

"Where are you hiding my boy?" he whispered to himself, thoughts once more turning to his wayward ward.

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

JUTSU IDENTIFICATION

**Suiton: Jagawa** (Water Release: Snake River) – _C-ranked offensive Water ninjutsu_. This technique shapes a nearby source of water into a large snake-like mass that then launches toward an opponent. The water-snake will undulate curve through the air making it hard to predict before striking an opponent with considerable force.

**Bakusō: Gōriki Hyōda** (Roaring Run: Great Strength Ice Strike) – _B-ranked offensive taijutsu technique_. The user sends chakra into a specially-designed chakra-powered snowboard to boost its speed and close in on a target before striking. The attack combines momentum and natural strength to deal an immense amount of damage.

_Shēng Qǐ Táng_ (Rising Mantis) – _C-ranked offensive taijutsu technique, Northern Mantis-style Wushu._ The user sends chakra into his legs before leaping upward in a rising punch, augmenting the strength and speed of the strike

**Hari no Enkei** (Circle of Needles) – _C-ranked offensive shurikenjutsu_. The user launches two barrages of senbon, one directly after the first and thrown slightly faster, The second set will strike the first, sending them into a circular pattern surrounding the target. Most often used in conjunction with exploding tags to cage in an opponent.

**Tsubame Fubuki** (Swallow Snow Storm) – _B-ranked offensive Hyōton ninjutsu_. This technique creates a cluster of ice needles in the shape of miniature swallows out of preexisting ice, which the user then throws at the opponent. These needles can change direction in midair and will maim the opponent with their sharp wings.

**Hyton: Kōri Enchō** (Ice Release: Ice Dome) _– B-ranked defensive Hyōton ninjutsu._ A true ice-technique that instantly forms a semi-transparent dome around the user and their allies. Extremely durable and capable of taking damage from several exploding tags without breaking.

_Táng Máo_ (Mantis Spear) – _C-ranked offensive taijutsu technique, Southern Mantis-style Wushu_. A straight punch that combines a step method and chakra to gather momentum and increase its striking power.

_Hè Jiàng_ (Crane Drop) – _C-ranked offensive taijutsu technique, Crane-style Wushu_. A descending heel kick using momentum and chakra to augment its power.

**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shuriken Shadow Clones Technique) – _B/A-ranked (dependent on number of clones produced), offensive shurikenjutsu/Ninjutsu/bunshin jutsu technique_. The user creates anywhere between ten and a hundred shadow clones from one shuriken to strike at an enemy. There is no need for preparations beforehand, like stocking up on shuriken, yet since the shadow clones are real and not illusions, all the shadow blades that fly around are equally lethal. Because the clones form in just an instant, completely evading them is next to impossible.

**Bakuretsu: Hyōzankuzushi** (Explosion: Ice Mountain Destruction) – _A-ranked offensive taijutsu technique_. After grabbing an opponent using a cable hand or similar weapon the user rapidly spins them around in the air before slamming them into an object shattering both.

**Shishō Yokusei Fūin** (Four Symbols Restraining Seal) – _C-ranked supplementary fūinjutsu technique_. One of the most basic combat sealing techniques of the _Shishō_ (Four Symbols) sealing style practiced by the Uzumaki clan. The seal begins as a single seal matrix drawn across one of the user's limbs, usually an arm or a leg, before activating it compacts the seal into a single symbol located somewhere on the affected limb, usually the palm of the hand or sole of the foot. The seal can then be activated at a later time, spreading from the compact point onto the target through physical combat before enwrapping the target in a repeating line of seal script which paralyzes the target until deactivated.

**Hyōton: Hyōkyō Ikō**! (Ice Release: Ice Mirror Transition) – _C-ranked supplementary Hyōton ninjutsu_. A technique that utilizes the transitive properties of Haku's ice mirrors to quickly warp a projectile, usually senbon, from one point to another to catch enemies by surprise.

**Hyōrō no Jutsu**** (Ice Prison Technique) –** _B-ranked offensive/defensive Hyōton ninjutsu_. This technique allows the user to infuse their chakra with ice underground and bring it to the surface. The user can then trap their opponent within the ice by controlling its movements and completely surrounding them in the ice. Can also be used as a defensive technique, by the user encasing themselves in the ice.

**Hyōton: Kōri Bunshin no Jutsu**. (Ice Release: Ice Clone Technique) _– C-ranked supplementary Hyōton ninjutsu/bunshin jutsu_. A solid clone technique using ice as the primary element.

**Kage Senbon no Jutsu**** (Shadow Senbon Technique) –** _D-ranked offensive shurikenjutsu_. A simple technique where two or more senbon are piled one onto each other and thrown simultaneously, causing one to be hidden in the shadow of another. While simplistic, it can be highly effective if used correctly.

**Sensatsu Suishō** (Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death) – _B-ranked offensive Suiton ninjutsu_. The user gathers some water from the air and surrounding environment into one thousand long needles. They can then direct them to a specific target at high speed. While the needles do surround a target from all sides, they don't appear above the target, creating an escape route.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**END CHAPTER 8**

**There you go, my first wholly, okay mostly, original chapter, ending the Snow Arc.**

**Afraid this will probably be the last of my double updates, I wanted to finish rehashing what's already written before starting on my own work, so from here on out its all original so it'll take some time.**


	9. Setting Sail

Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings

**Review Response**

**Kine X**: …Oops? Misprints happen I guess.

_Guest_: She hasn't had the chance to really look, the only time they were even in the same room is during team assignments, and that wasn't for long enough to figure anything out.

**EternalKnight219**: I have no intentions of letting Haku die anytime soon

**PEJP Bengtzone V2**: The Rasengan's in his father's journal, but it'll take time for Naruto to find it and learn it.

**Storylover213**: I don't have the harem yet, and lemons aren't allowed anymore :(

**Ryo no Kitsune**: Not quite, the ideas did come from bending. I loved the Avatar series, the movie not so much, and I think the ideas behind many bending attacks and techniques would work well with ninjutsu.

**shadeirion**: He smashed the snowboard remember?

**MisterJoke**: The reason is quite simple. Killing Kakashi would pretty much ensure Konoha sending an army of Hunter-nins after his skull. Right now Naruto knows that Konoha's after him, but the old man is keeping his efforts small and covert. IF he killed Kakashi, it would force the old man's hand and then he'd have an army of shinobi chasing him, rather than a much smaller force.

**n0mester**: To an extent, yes Konoha will be given a bit of negative spotlight, though I hope I don't go overboard with it. As for the fight, I explained the difficulty he had in this chapter. And Naruto being whipped, well all relationships have their moments.

**misteryman526**: Blame Micha, it was his part and I didn't see a good way to alter it without detracting from the story.

_**To everyone else who read and reviewed thank you for your time and attention**_

"Normal Speech"

'_Normal Thought'_

"**Demon/Large Summon Speech"**

'_**Demon/Large Summon Thought' **_

**Jutsu**, _Kung Fu Technique,_ _Ring Power_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or even the original idea for this story. All I own is any of my original ideas. **

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**Chapter 9 Setting Sail**

_(Jade Dragon, An hour later) _

The sea crashed against the black and blue hull of the Jade Dragon as it exited the narrow cove. She had handled the narrow cove a lot easier this time around. Naruto smiled to himself, the seals he and his clones had spent the past two months carving into her were certainly worth the time and effort it took. Reinforcement seals to strengthen her hull, enhancement seals to increase the effectiveness of several pieces of the ship, chakra conversion seals on the motor to allow it to be fueled by chakra instead of gas in emergencies and to boost its effectiveness, and a smattering of nearly anything else that crossed the blonde's twisted mind. It had proven to be, not only excellent fūinjutsu practice, but a masterful improvement to the Dragon. He doubted any other ship her size could match her now in speed, mobility, or durability. Add in a crew that could easily become hundreds if not thousands in a span of seconds, all armed with bows, kunai and jutsu and the seas were theirs to plunder…

Naruto shook his head to chase away those stray thoughts. He was a ninja not a pirate damn it! He really needed to get more control over his clones before they drove him mad…okay madder!

"So where are we heading now love?" asked Haku as she stepped up behind the blonde where he was standing on the foredeck, staring out at the open waters.

"You remember that place you mentioned earlier? Some place where we could get papers for the Dragon?" questioned the blonde. When Haku nodded her head in agreement he asked another question. "Do you know if this place would have a decent smith or a shinobi-grade weapons market?"

"It does." she agreed with another slight nod. "Why?"

"I need to get the weapons I need to really start using my Wushu effectively. If I'd had them it would have been a lot easier to take out that over-sized shinobi from Yuki." Right now the blonde's combat arsenal was primarily split between his taijutsu and ninjutsu, with a few pieces of combat fūinjutsu mixed in. With almost half his arsenal taken away, that fight with the Yuki-nin was a lot harder than it should be. Add in that his opponent also seemed to have been a taijutsu expert, since that was all he'd used in the fight save a single clone technique and his weird gear, and you got a nasty fight where Naruto had next to no advantages. The weapons described in his scrolls would have given him at least one edge; or at least another option in the fight

Haku nodded her head. "I understand. Truth be told I'm in need of restocking my own weapon supplies, and the style Zabuza-sama left me makes references to using a sword as well." agreed the young ice-user as she turned around and headed toward a small table set near the back of the foredeck, with Naruto following quietly after. Truth be told her own fight had been far too close for her comfort as well. Haku was primarily a shurikenjutsu and ninjutsu user, backing it up with some knowledge of iryōjutsu to help both in and out of combat. Her opponent's armor had completely destroyed her primary means of attack and, had it not been for a lucky hit, a flaw in the armor's designs, and her opponent's own arrogance, she could have easily lost.

As the two arrived the blonde absently noted the large map of most of the Elemental Countries stretched across the table and anchored against the winds.

"The clones put this out so we could decide our next course as we were leaving." explained Haku as she studied the map for a moment, before placing her finger on a point. "This is where I was talking about, _Kuroiwa_ (Black Rock)."

Naruto looked down at the area of the map she was pointing to. It was a long way south from here, past Wave in that direction. It was an island, and an extremely small one at that. From the look of the map, it was just twice the size of normal dot that showed a major town or city. It was located near the easternmost edge of the small chain of islands that filled the waters between Fire Country and Water Country's central island. "What's there?" he asked curiously

"Officially nothing." returned Haku before she began to explain. "During the last war, there were several periods of extremely high hostility between Konoha and Kiri and several of the islands closest to Fire's border were temporarily taken over by Kiri forces to be used as front-line bases for their attacks and raids on Konoha. Kuroiwa was not only one of the closest islands to the border without being in striking range of Fire and Konoha's limited Navy, but also possessed several natural defenses, including dangerous reefs and currents that surrounded the majority of the island, so it quickly became a center for these operations.

"After the war ended, Kuroiwa was mostly abandoned. Besides its security and closeness to Fire's shores, it had nothing to offer. The land is barren rock, impossible to farm with no useable mineral deposits. No one wanted to risk Konoha and Fire seeing the continued use of the island as a military base as a declaration of ill-intent, so the island and its base were left to rot. However, someone else found a use for the island and its natural defenses. Being on the periphery of both nations' territory, Kuroiwa was never fully claimed by either Fire or Water Country and, with no indigenous people and nothing of apparent worth, none of the smaller island nations seemed to care enough to claim it. Because of that it quickly became a no-man's land, a place under the authority of no nation or village. After the war, several…'_enterprising_' members of the criminal underworld took advantage of that, and within a few years the remains of the military base had been turned into a central hub for the black market and a base for every manner of smuggler, privateer, and illegal business, not to mention a favorite meeting ground and hiding place for missing-nin and wandering-nin, not to mention the bounty hunters that follow them and the mercenaries attracted to the wide array of less-than-legitimate work the place offers.

Naruto nodded his head slowly. "So there's a black market there, someplace we can get the papers for the Dragon and any weapons we need."

"I know of several." agreed Haku. "Zabuza-sama and I went there several times after we left Kiri. It is a useful place for missing-nin to find contracts, supplies, and other necessary resources. It is also the closest thing to a safe haven a missing-nin is likely to find, as long as they don't linger too long without finding a job from one of the bosses."

"Wait, then why doesn't Kiri send hunter-nin to keep an eye on the place if it's such a hotspot for missing-nin? Hell, if it's such a hotbed for criminal activity why hasn't one of the nearby nations simply wiped it out and taken over?" questioned Naruto.

"They do send hunter-nin, though always in small numbers and under careful disguise. The sheer number of missing-nin that are on the island at one time means that any hunter-nin discovered would be mobbed and likely lynched within seconds of discovery. While missing-nin are hardly a harmonious group, they understand how to band together when they face a common threat and a hunter-nin from any village is a threat to every missing-nin on the island. Add that to the various other criminal elements that usually take up residence on that island, even for a brief time, and you have a place that is quite unfriendly toward law-enforcement agencies." explained Haku. "As for one of the surrounding nations attacking it, most nearby nations lack the fire power to do so. There are usually dozens if not hundreds of shinobi making their homes there at one time, not to mention hundreds of mercenaries, enforcers, privateers, and other less potent threats, a force any minor nation would be hard-pressed to rival. Granted a major nation village like Fire and Water could likely accomplish it, but not without great costs, and, even then, seizing control of Kuroiwa could be viewed as a prelude to war by many of the surrounding nations."

"Is it safe?" questioned Naruto.

"That depends entirely on who you are." answered Haku with a slight nod. "As I mentioned the island is operated by several powerful members of the underworld who use it for as a profitable meeting ground and business hub. They brook no damage to the safety and security of their business and are ruthless in enforcing their rules. Still, it is a haven for missing-nin, criminals and even bounty hunters and shinobi unaligned with the villages, so there is always the threat of someone starting trouble, but given our combined abilities it shouldn't pose too much of a threat as long as we don't actively start looking for trouble."

Naruto sighed. This did not sound like a good place; still it was probably their only option if they wanted to get everything they needed without risking entering a ninja village. "How far is it?"

"Given our current location, I'd say anywhere between a week and a week and a half depending on how good the winds are." answered Haku calmly.

Naruto nodded. "Inform the pilot and navigation clones, we set sail for Kuroiwa!" he stated loudly, rolling up the map and heading toward the pilot's cabin.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Abandoned Snow Village, Several Days Later)_

"No doubt about it, they were here recently." stated Hana as she finished communicating with her ninken outside the Inn. She'd donned a long parka and a pair of long pants over her usual attire to deal with Snow's icy climate. The Haimaru brothers, while more used to warmer climates, had more than a little wolf blood in them so they could deal with the icy weather fine on their own.

"They?" asked Kotetsu as he and Izumo joined her along with Iruka. He and Izumo had both donned long parkas as well, though that didn't stop the eternal Chūnin duo from complaining about the cold constantly.

Hana nodded. "Looks like Kakashi was right, Naruto's traveling with that ice-user from Wave now." she stated before indicating the town with a broad wave. "There are two scents all over the town. One is definitely Naruto's, the other's female and the trio is saying that it smells like ice, rabbits, and herbs, the same scent Pakkun described from his brief interaction with her."

"How long ago did they leave?" asked Iruka, who, like the others, had donned a long parka over his normal uniform.

Hana conversed with her ninken for a moment. "A few days ago, not sure how long exactly but less than a week to be sure. The only reason their scent is still so strong is because they've been living here for a while and the cold's preserving most of their scents." she then blushed a bit. "Iruka, there's one more thing. Their scents are almost always covering the same bedding, and from what the Trio has said, it seems they've been very…um…_active_."

All three male chūnin stared at the blushing female member of their team in confusion for a moment before their jaws dropped as one in realization.

"Go Naruto." stated Kotetsu dumbly after a few minutes of working his jaw back into its socket

"Knew the kid had it in him." added Izumo as he worked to do the same.

Iruka cleared his throat at that. "Let's get back on topic." stated the lead chūnin, even though he was still a little shocked that his kid brother was apparently no longer a kid. "Given the condition of the corpses of those Yuki-nin we found surrounding this place, they were killed a few days ago as well. We can only assume Naruto and his…um _companion_ were the cause."

"That means they probably left right after they fought them." stated Izumo.

"Why though? I mean from the looks of it, they won the fight so why leave so soon after? Wouldn't it have been smarter to at least take a few days to recover?" questioned Kotetsu.

"Obviously they knew someone would come looking when those two weaklings failed to report back in." stated a fifth voice, causing all four Konoha-nin to turn toward the source.

Standing on the roof of the Inn and staring down at them was a man wearing a Yuki headband. He had pale blue-gray hair worn up in a ponytail, pale blue pupilless eyes with light purple tear-like marking running down beneath them over his cheeks. He was dressed in the one-piece bodysuits that seemed to be standard for Yukigakure, with the right arm covered in a purple sleeve and the left by a normal extension of his jumpsuit. He had a form of armor over his right shoulder, with a blue and white Yin-Yang symbol over its center, and his headband framed his face in a similar manner to the Nidaime Hokage's.

"Nadare Rōga, one of Yuki's top jounin." whispered Iruka as he drew a kunai from his weapon pouch. Kotetsu quickly pulled out a scroll and unsealed a giant mace with the head shaped like a giant, purple conch shell. Izumo quickly put his hands together, ready to start forming the seals for a ninjutsu technique. Hana fell into a low crouch with her ninken gathering around her, a low growl starting to rumble out of her throat.

"Ah, it seems my reputation has preceded me." stated the pale-haired Yuki-nin as he smirked down at the Konoha team. "Now tell me, what is a group of Konoha shinobi doing in Yuki territory? Oh, I know. Konoha must have aligned itself with the rebels attempting to overthrow Lord Dotō. That would certainly explain finding you in a suspected rebel base and killing two of my top chūnin."

"If you've been listening at all then you know that's not the case." growled Hana as she glared at the man.

Nadare's smirk suddenly grew into a malicious, self-satisfied smile. "Maybe little kunoichi, but it would be the most useful explanation to help ensure Dotō-sama's plans come to fruition. When news spreads that the rebels have aligned with Konoha in order to win, agreeing to turn Snow into nothing more than a puppet-state for Fire with them in charge once victory is theirs, it will certainly shift the people away from the rebels, cutting off much of their support and strengthening Dotō-sama's legitimacy. Yes, much more useful than capturing a group of Konoha-nin trespassing in Yuki territory or having my subordinates killed by some missing-nin."

"That only works if you bring us in and we're not alive to tell the truth." stated Iruka lowly.

"Ah good, you've figured out the rest of the plan." complimented the Yuki-nin as he began forming a rapid series of handseals. "Then do be nice and just die quickly, I have other matters to deal with. **Rōga Nadare no Jutsu**! (Wolf Fang Avalanche Technique) (1)." finished the jounin as his hands formed a final sign. Instantly the snow surrounding him, both on the rooftop and on the ground surrounding the inn, starting flowing toward the Konoha group, morphing into a large number of giant wolves made of snow and ice with glowing red eyes.

"Fall back!" ordered Iruka as he leapt away, Kotetsu, Hana, and her ninken following closely behind as Izumo brought up the rear, his hands forming handseals of his own.

"**Suiton: Mizuame Nabara**! (Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field) (2)." shouted the chūnin before he began to spit out a large amount of slightly translucent and viscous liquid, covering most of the ground in front of him. The second the first of the snow wolves touched the field its icy paws were stuck fast, stopping its charge completely. With its charge broken, the jutsu seemed to end as the wolf reverted back into a harmless pile of snow as it fell to the ground, while its companions clambered over it in pursuit of their prey. Over half the pack was dissolved like this, but that still left a couple dozen chasing after the Konoha-nin.

Hana was next to strike, her hands forming a seal in midair as she continued to leap through the village, away from the pursuing wolves. Still in midair she snarled out, "**Shikyaku no Jutsu**! (Four Legs Technique) (3)." Her chakra momentarily became visible as it surged around her, activating her clan's special technique. Instantly her canine teeth became longer and more prominent, her fingernails and toenails grew to a claw-like length, and her eyes narrowed into slits while darkening in shade. Iruka had seen several Inuzuka go through this transformation before, including Hana's own younger brother, but he couldn't help but feel Hana's transformation was far more pronounced, perhaps due to her usually much calmer and more…tame appearance compared to most of her clansmen.

But the female Inuzuka was far from done. As soon as she was on the ground, now facing the oncoming ice wolves, the three Haimaru Brothers appeared, instantly surrounding her as she finished another brief set of handseals. "**Jūjin Bunshin**! (Beast Human Clone) (4)." In a large puff of smoke the three dogs vanished and were replaced with three more, equally feral, Hanas. As one, the four leapt into the air before spinning rapidly, each turning into a miniature whirlwind that barreled toward the ice wolves. "**Gatsūga**! (Fang Passing Fang) (5)." howled Hana's voice in quadruplet as the drill-like attacks hit home, each attack shredding through the charging ice wolves on impact.

One of Nadare's eyebrows rose as he witnessed the remainder of his attack being mown down by the feral kunoichi from his position atop the roof of the Inn. "An Inuzuka? How…annoying." stated the Yuki-nin with a slight frown. A sudden whistling sound caused the man to instantly leap to the side, landing near the edge of the roof and barely dodging the massive mace that was now imbedded in the wood where he'd been standing moments earlier.

"Hope you didn't forget about us." stated Kotetsu coolly as he easily hefted the mace out of the wooden paneling, bracing it against his shoulder.

By his side Izumo was already in the midst of a set of handseals. Finishing he took in a deep breath before calling, "**Suiton: Teppōdama**! (Water Release: Gunshot) (6)." and firing a trio of water bullets the size of basketballs at the Yuki jounin.

"Useless." snarled Nadare as he brought his hand up. The three water bullets instantly connected with the chakra barrier, the impact sending Rōga skating a few inches back across the snow-lined surface but otherwise unharmed. "Ninjutsu and genjutsu are worthless against the shinobi of Yukigakure." he proclaimed victoriously.

"Then it's a good thing that our group has plenty of taijutsu power behind it." came a shout from directly behind him. Turning Nadare found the snarling visage of a quartet of Hana Inuzukas, apparently finished destroying his ice wolves, leaping into the air behind him. While midair the group paired off, one standing in front of the other, before they used their partners as a base and launched themselves forward, combining the power of gravity with their own velocity.** "****Futenga**! (Descending Heavenly Fang) (7)." snarled the descending Hanas as they began to spin, once again turning into miniature tornados of fangs and claws.

Nadare quickly leapt to the side, putting him right at the edge of the roof, when Izumo and Kotetsu's voices rang out again.** "****Suiton: Suigun Suima no Jutsu**! (Water Release: Water Army Water Demon Technique) (8)." shouted the two chūnin. Instantly most of the snow on the roof melted into water before flowing together and forming a large, swirling stream that flew straight at Nadare. His ninjutsu shield instantly activated, blocking the damaging effects of the swirling jet, but the impact from the strike to his shield still sent the Yuki shinobi over the edge and tumbling down into the small square below.

"Useless. Do they honestly think a little fall will be enough to kill me?" questioned Nadare as he landed on his feet, only for Iruka's voice to answer him.

"**Fūbaku Hōjin**! (Sealed Bomb Square Release) (9)." proclaimed the Chūnin instructor's voice seemingly coming from a different rooftop. Instantly dozens of exploding tags began to glow, placed on the sides of the surrounding buildings, the well that made up the center of the square, and even placed along the ground.

"What is this?" snarled Nadare as he looked around, his eyes widening at the sheer number of exploding tags placed around him. "When did you place these?" roared the Yuki-nin, confidence giving way to panic and more than a hint of fear.

Iruka's answer was calm and tactical. "While you were focusing your efforts on my teammates attacking you, I was setting this up. Or did you fail to notice them pushing you toward this particular square? Even with that shield of yours I doubt you can withstand over three dozen exploding tags being released at once."

Nadare's eyes widened as he heard this answer. "A trap? You set a trap?"

"Precisely." stated Iruka's voice calmly.

"This is impossible! I am an elite jounin of Yukigakure, I cannot be defeated by a bunch of lowly Chūnin!" the Yuki-nin screamed in denial.

"And that is why you lost." stated Iruka's voice, now sounding as if he was back at the Academy giving a lecture. "In battle, rank is meaningless. The only thing that matters is the skill and abilities that you, your allies, and your opponents possess. You underestimated us because we were 'lowly Chūnin' and you were a jounin. That sealed your fate. Take this lesson with you to your next life Rōga, 'Never underestimate your opponents.'" stated Iruka. "_Hatsu_! (Explode/Release)"

Nadare couldn't even respond before his world was enveloped in fire.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

A short distance outside of town, the other three members of the squad watched a massive explosion rip through the village's center. A moment later Iruka appeared among them in a puff of smoke. He was panting heavily, but otherwise unharmed.

Hana was quickly next to him, using her medical knowledge to ensure he was unharmed. "You used too much chakra at once activating that technique Iruka, you nearly burnt yourself out activating all those exploding tags at once while maintaining that barrier." scolded Hana.

"I had no choice Hana. Given our opponent's level and abilities I had to make sure he died with the first strike, otherwise we'd never be able to beat him." returned Iruka as he tried to regain his breath.

"Still if you'd used any more chakra your control would have faltered and you wouldn't have been able to use a Shunshin to escape the blast radius." stated Hana worriedly.

"I know my limits Hana." replied Iruka, attempting to calm her worries. "I had no intention of not making it out of there in time."

Hana seemed to accept those words as she went back to her examination.

"So what now Iruka?" questioned Izumo.

"We're leaving Snow." stated Iruka calmly. "Once we're back to the ship we'll head for the nearest big port, saying an emergency just came up. To be precise my blushing bride here," he offered jokingly indicating Hana who growled at him, "just let me know I am going to be a father and I didn't want the stress of work to interfere with her pregnancy."

"So where do we head after that?" asked Kotetsu.

"South, the only place north of here is Lightning and I doubt Naruto is heading there. We'll send a letter to the Hokage informing him of what happened and seeing if he has any new leads. If not, we'll start combing the islands. Naruto seems intent on avoiding any major nations and is sticking to smaller, more isolated countries so that's where we'll look." answered Iruka.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Aboard the Jade Dragon, One Week Later)_

Naruto sat in front of a small workbench, studying one of the small ice bombs that Haku had provided him. While in Snow, Naruto had sent at least a dozen clones out each day to work on the Dragon. Most of them were assigned seal carving duties, but some also worked on remodeling some of the ship's rooms to fit their needs. The room he was currently using had once been a storage room. Since he and Haku stored most of their things in storage scrolls, storage space wasn't a large necessity. They'd converted a single room for that, a room Gatō had designed as a wine cellar, with the shelves now holding scrolls instead of bottles with open space in the center of the room in case they needed to store something that couldn't or shouldn't be sealed in a scroll.

Now this room served as his personal fūinjutsu lab aboard the Dragon, though Haku had made him promise not to 'experiment' too much in it. That had annoyed the blonde. So what if his research resulted in the occasional explosion? He'd been sure to apply plenty of reinforcement seals to the walls, floor, and ceiling when he'd redesigned the room. Hell, now he could probably fill the place with exploding tags and set them all off at once and do nothing more than rattle the ship a little. Still a promise was a promise, so the blonde had contented himself with using the room for practice and studying the toys Haku had brought him.

A knock on his door drew his attention. Knowing only one other person on this ship who'd knock, the others were simply rude, he called out. "It's open Haku-chan, come in."

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked as she walked in.

"My clones are rude bastards, they never knock." supplied the blonde. "Oh, and I think I've got these ice bombs of yours worked out."

"Really?" questioned the female ice-user as she approached the workbench. Sitting on top of a large seal, to be precise a nullification seal to prevent any chakra-based traps from being activated, was one of the ice bombs she'd brought in, only its side had been cut open, revealing a hollow inside. Lying around it was a strip of thick parchment similar to an exploding note covered in fūinjutsu seals which she assumed, given its rather crumbled appearance, had been stored inside the bomb's hollow casing.

"Yeah." stated the blonde. "It works similarly to an exploding tag, but adds a few new levels to the equation." seeing Haku's curious look he asked. "Do you know how seal arrays work?"

"Not really." answered Haku honestly with a shrug. Sealing had never been a point of interest for either her or Zabuza. They knew enough about the basics of fūinjutsu to make sealing scrolls and paper bombs but that was it.

"Okay, seal arrays work by putting different seals together to either combine their effects or to create an entirely new effect. Most seals are measured by the complication of their array. Sealing scrolls and exploding tags for example, two of the simplest and most common forms of fūinjutsu, are one and two seal arrays respectively. Storage scrolls contain a single seal, a storage seal to be precise, while exploding notes are made of two seals linked together: a storage seal altered to hold chakra and a seal designed to turn that chakra into explosive force, called an ignition seal. When the ignition seal is activated, either by command or on a time delay, it causes the stored chakra to explode. Then there are layers, which are different sets of seals within an array used to activate different effects at different times."

He then gestured toward the bomb. "These ice bombs would be classified as a five seal array divided into two layers. The outer layer is a storage seal designed to hold a large quantity of water, a seal designed to rapidly convert that water into a vapor state, and a combination that is similar to that of an exploding tag, one seal stores chakra and the other turns it into an explosion, though smaller and designed for kinetic force rather than explosive power. The other layer is the most fascinating; it is a single seal that I've taken to calling a 'freezing seal.' It's designed to rapidly lower the temperature of a certain substance, in this case water, causing it to freeze near instantaneously.

"The bombs themselves work in a sequence. The outer layer activates first, the water in the first storage seal is rapidly released while the second seal converts it into vapor while the force of the exploding seals rapidly spread it through the air. Then, seconds later, the central seal activates, rapidly freezing the water vapor into a solid block of ice as it continues to expand outward. The effect is nearly instantaneous, giving it an illusion of ice growing out of the ground or the explosion's center, which, to a point, it actually is. It's an amazing bit of seal work." stated Naruto excitedly. He'd really become interested in the sealing arts since he started with them. At first he'd thought they'd be boring, nothing but fancy writing, but once he found all the amazing things that a creative shinobi could do with them, he was hooked.

"Fascinating." stated Haku with a slight nod of her head. "Do you think you could replicate them?"

"Easily." responded the blonde confidently as he studied the set of seals on his workbench. "With the originals you brought I can easily copy the seal designs into new bombs. Actually breaking down the arrays so I can incorporate the individual seals into my own fūinjutsu style will take a bit more time, but it's a simple enough process when you're well-versed in fūinjutsu." he then turned his attention back to Haku. "So what did you need me for anyway?"

"We're about to enter Kuroiwa's waters and I thought it would be a good idea to have both of us on deck." answered Haku calmly.

Naruto nodded, standing up from his workbench. "Alright, let's get going then milady." he grinned as he offered her his arm, which Haku took, giggling slightly.

It was dusk already as the two made their way onto deck and a thick mist was already starting to blanket the water. "We're getting close." stated Haku calmly. "There's always mist surrounding Kuroiwa, the leaders pay a group of former Kiri shinobi to maintain it constantly to add to the island's security."

As the two emerged on the main deck, a clone acting as lookout from atop the mast, carrying a telescope and using the tree-walking exercise to maintain his footing, called down to them. "Oi boss, boss-lady? There's a small rowboat just ahead of us with someone sitting inside it! He's dressed in a black cloak and he's got a red lantern and is waving it about, looks like he's trying to draw our attention." bellowed the clone.

"That's most likely a guide." stated Haku. When Naruto shot her a curious look she continued. "As I said, Kuroiwa is surrounded by reefs and dangerous currents, making it extremely dangerous to approach unless one is very familiar with the surrounding waterways, something the island's leaders ensure that only their people are. Guides are employed by those leaders, stationed around the island at several intervals and trained to navigate Kuroiwa's currents. Their job is to ensure that any ship entering Kuroiwa's waters passes through them safely and to ensure they aren't carrying anything they shouldn't."

"You mean like contraband? I thought this place was like a central hub for smugglers and the black market?" responded the blonde, wondering what such a place would refuse to allow in.

"Like soldiers, village shinobi, and hunter-nin." responded Haku gravely. "This island is a very profitable venture to several powerful figures in the underworld, men who make Gatō seem a very small fish in a very large ocean, and they want to ensure that outside forces do not interfere _too_ greatly in their affairs."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding. "So should we pick him up?" he asked, knowing Haku was the expert here.

Haku gave a brief nod. "Yes, hiring a guide is the only way to enter Kuroiwa without crashing on the reefs or rocks. Even if someone managed to get through on their own, the enforcers on the docks would instantly attack anyone who arrived without one." she explained.

Naruto nodded before turning his attention to the clone piloting the ship. "You heard the lady, bring us alongside the rowboat and let him come aboard." shouted the blonde, getting a nod from the clone as he spun the wheel and altered their course.

Several minutes later, the small rowboat had pulled alongside the Jade Dragon and several clones threw down ropes to tether it to the ship and to allow its passenger to climb up. However instead of taking the ropes the man simply placed his lantern on a small hook on his belt before leaping onto the side of the ship, his feet anchoring onto the sides through an obvious use of chakra, before turning and facing his boat and removing a sealing scroll from his cloak. In a single, well-practiced move, the cloaked guide sealed the small rowboat into the scroll before rolling it back up and returning it to his cloak's pocket. Then he turned once again and began leisurely walking up the side of the ship, lantern swaying slightly on his hip.

Naruto frowned before stating the obvious. "This guy's had some ninja training."

Haku merely nodded. "Guides often do. Most are trained sensors, either recruited from groups of wandering-nin or missing-nin that work on the island or elite enforcers trained by the same. They use their abilities to scan the ships for hiding shinobi or soldiers as well as monitor what's happening. They're also well-trained in order to escape if a boat happens to be a trap." she explained quietly.

Finally, the man reached the top of the boat's side, before leaping over the railing and landing lightly on his feet in front of the two teens. Naruto took a minute to study the man. He was dressed completely in black, including a traditional black shinobi shōzoku(ninja uniform) with black shinobi sandals and a deep black cloak that covered most of his body, including a deep hoodthat concealed the majority of his head. His face was covered by a featureless, white porcelain mask, similar to what Naruto remembered the Anbu wearing but without the animalistic markings Naruto was used to. The only markings on the otherwise smooth surface were a pair of slit eyeholes and five kanji inscribed on the mask: '_North_' (北) near the center of the forehead, '_East_' (東) and '_West_' (西) on the right and left cheek areas respectively, '_South_' (南) over the chin area, and '_Center_' (心) where the nose would be.

"Greetings young travelers." greeted the masked man as he gave the two a slight bow, his voice rich and jovial, completely at odds with his blank, professional appearance. "My name is Makuro. Would you and your fair ship happen to be looking for a guide to Kuroiwa this fair evening?"

Haku stepped forward. "Yes, we are." she agreed calmly, returning his bow. "My partner and I are wandering shinobi, and we were hoping to rest and resupply at Kuroiwa."

"And have you visited our lovely island before?" asked the masked man.

"I have, my partner has not." answered Haku calmly.

"Ah, very good. Then I take it you will make him aware of the rules surrounding our little sanctuary?"

"Of course." agreed Haku.

"Wonderful, then if you'll just lead me on a little tour of your ship to make sure you're not hiding anything or anyone then we can be on our way." stated the masked man.

Haku merely nodded her agreement before returning to Naruto's side. The two quickly led the masked guide through a quick walkthrough of their ship, showing the man that they were hiding no one else aboard the ship. As they passed another group of clones, Makuro apparently couldn't help but comment. "Either you come from a very large family young man or you are very good at making clones." he stated offhandedly.

"Clones are kind of my specialty. Other than the three of us, and my partner's pet, that's all there is on this ship." answered Naruto with a shrug.

"That's most impressive, particularly from such a young man." stated Makuro with a slight nod. "Not many can produce so many clones at once, let alone maintain them and have them work like this. The sheer amount of chakra required alone to do something like this is quite daunting."

Naruto simply shrugged again. "I just have naturally large chakra reserves. It's a family trait."

"Still, a most useful ability." stated Makuro as he studied the sheer number of clones working on the ship. "I happen to know several people who'd find such an impressive talent of great use. If you'd like I could introduce you."

"Thank you, but no." answered Haku quickly. "My partner and I already have prior arrangements for when we leave this island, I'm afraid other work would simply be impossible."

The masked guide simply shrugged slightly. "A shame, still my offer is open if you change your minds, simply leave a request for me at the guides' office at the ports and I will make the arrangements." With that he turned and made his way to the pilot's cabin to take control of the ship from the helms-clone and begin guiding them to port.

As the man departed Naruto whispered to Haku, "What was that about?"

"Guides often take on a secondary job as contractors." explained the ice-user. "Since they have first contact with many of the missing-nin and wandering-nin that approach Kuroiwa, many employers contact them looking for specific talents. In exchange for a small fee they arrange contacts and meetings between the shinobi and employers."

"And since neither of us wants to work for the type of people controlling this place, it's best not to even ask." agreed the blonde with a nod as they went to join their guide in the pilot's cabin.

**_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_**

"Pardon me," stated Makuro from his spot at the wheel, "would one of you mind grabbing the wheel for a moment. I need to perform a jutsu in order to allow us to pass through the gates." he explained, nodding his head out in front of them.

Directly in front of them was a short, narrow strait, bordered on each side by a large rock formations, seemingly rising out of the water like guard towers. Between the two atolls the mists seemed to swirl and thicken, rising several dozen feet above the water's surface.

"A barrier?" wondered the blonde aloud as he took the wheel from Makuro.

"Correct young man." agreed Makuro as he unhooked his lantern from his belt. "That strait is the only way to enter Kuroiwa's main port without being torn apart by the reefs and tides. When Kiri was in control they took precautions about the island's security, using techniques and seals to augment the island's natural defenses, precautions that my employers have only added onto since then. Now that strait is the only known way to enter by boat, so of course a barrier was placed to monitor it." explained the masked guide as he walked to the front of the boat. "If the proper signal is not given before a ship tries to pass through, well the results would be most unpleasant for anyone aboard such a vessel."

With that final statement, the masked guide raised his lamp while the other formed a half-tiger seal. "**Ninpō: Anzen'na Tsūkō no Hyōshiki**!"(Ninja Art: Beacon of Safe Passage) (10)." The dull red light coming from his lamp suddenly intensified before focusing forward into a narrow beam. As the beam hit the swirling mists that marked the barrier the mists seemed to slowly shift in colors becoming a dull red before it began to spread like blood in the water. Slowly the entire straight was covered in dull red mists.

Rehooking the lantern to his belt, Makuro returned to the cabin. "That should do it, but I'd advise you to hurry us through, the barrier will reset itself in a few minutes if nothing enters." he stated calmly.

Naruto nodded before pushing forward on the Dragon's accelerator, sending her straight into the red-tinted mists. As soon as the tip of the dragon-shaped figurehead touched the mists, the glow seemed to condense, quickly enveloping the ship as it fully entered the mists and returning the rest of the shroud to its normal coloring. Naruto looked around, noticing the mists circling him and Haku were glowing slightly, as well as the mists covering several portions of the ship, portions Naruto knew were where he'd inscribed seals.

Makuro walked over to one of those seals, examining it closely for several moments. "A reinforcement seal?" he stated aloud before he turned his head to face Naruto and Haku. "Would either of you mind explaining how your ship was practically tattooed with an assortment of reinforcement and enhancement seals?" he asked, his tone making it clear this was not a question they could ignore.

"I did it." answered Naruto calmly. "I know more than a fair bit about fūinjutsu and thought it'd be a good idea to enhance our ship a bit in case of emergencies."

"But to cover an entire ship like this would take years?" questioned Makuro, his tone wary.

"Not when you use clone labor." responded the blonde with a smug grin. "Have about a dozen clones all working at once and it'll only take a couple of months."

Makuro seemed to study Naruto for a moment before nodding his head slightly. "A fair point." he agreed. "Still, I'm going to take another look around while we pass through. Don't want any surprises now do we?" again his tone made it sound like this was not a suggestion.

Naruto and Haku merely nodded before returning control of the helm to a clone, which was ordered by Makuro to keep them heading straight and to keep their speed slow. It took another half-hour for Makuro to check through the ship again, examining seals almost at random, though Naruto noticed he only seemed to check once on each kind of seal. It was like he knew where each seal was, just not the type without first checking one out. _'An effect of the barrier combined with his sensor training?'_ wondered Naruto curiously as he studied the masked guide as they returned to the deck.

"Everything seems to be on the up-and-up." stated Makuro calmly. "Again I must say you have some impressive abilities young man. A talent for fūinjutsu and a strong affinity for clones is an unusual and, apparently, useful combination."

"Thanks, I guess." responded Naruto with a shrug.

"We should be reaching the limit of the barrier any moment now and our fair island will be in sight as soon as we exit." stated Makuro as he returned to the front of the ship.

A moment later the Dragon broke through the fogbank, which cleared almost instantaneously, and Naruto got his first look at the island of Kuroiwa. _'Well the name certainly is fitting enough.' _thought the blonde as he studied the port laid out in front of him.

The entire island, from the large hill rising at its center, to the town that took up most of the visible surface that Naruto could see, to the massive port itself seemed to be carved completely out of jet black rock. The only splashes of color on the entire island were the occasional banner or cloth hanged over a building, the small pinpricks of light emanating from the occasional window, and the dozens of other ships already docked on the islands expansive port. All in all it looked kind of creepy from the blonde's point of view, like some kind of ghost town or an abandoned city.

However as they approached the signs of life became far more prominent. As Makuro pointed them toward an open dock, the noise and bustle of an living and thriving city began to grow louder and clearer as they approached. Naruto could see several taverns and bars lining the port as they pulled in, their windows filled with light even at the dark hour and the heavy sounds of music, laughter, shouts and the occasional crash from a barroom brawl began to echo in his ears as the dragon finished her approached and pulled into port.

As some of his clones began trimming the sails, Naruto noticed a group of men making their way toward the Dragon. Makuro also noticed them. "That would be the harbormaster and some of the local enforcers. They're just here to make sure I'm alright and to discuss your docking fees." explained the masked guide. "If you wouldn't mind, it'd be best if we met them on the docks rather than aboard your ship."

Naruto looked to Haku, who nodded her head, before ordering his clones to lower the gangplank. The two shinobi and guide met the group right at the bottom of the plank. The apparent leader of the approaching group, a tall man in a dark business suit with slicked-back, black hair pulled into a low ponytail and small glasses greeted them with a raised hand, ordering the group following him to stop. Naruto took a quick moment to study the group. All were men, most heavily muscled with the looks of practiced mercenaries or soldiers, and all of them carried some form of weapon on their person, usually a sword of some kind but a couple carried bows or spears, and wore matching black armor marked with the same insignia on their shoulder; a black rock on a red background, more than likely the symbol of Kuroiwa.

"Good evening Makuro." stated the leader calmly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I trust everything went well."

"No problems Yari-san. The crew is a pair of wandering-nin hoping to rest and resupply. No funny business aboard their ship from what I could see." agreed the masked-guide.

"Very well then." agreed the now identified Yari with a nod before turning his attention to the two young shinobi. "I am Yari, the harbormaster in charge of this section of the docks." he stated professionally with a slight bow. "How long do you intend to stay on Kuroiwa?"

"A month, perhaps two at the longest." answered Haku calmly.

"Very well. Now as for the docking fees, we can handle payment for the first month now and if your stay extends longer we can…" started Yari before Naruto held his hand up, stopping the man from talking.

"Forgive me for the interruption, but we won't be needing to use your docks for the entire time, simply now and for when we leave." stated the blond calmly.

The bespectacled harbormaster gave the blonde a strange look. "Really? Is your ship leaving now that its dropped you off. If so then a fee is needed to cover a guide to take it back through the strait." he stated condescendingly while readjusting his glasses again.

"That is not the case." stated Naruto calmly. "I believe it would be best if I simply showed you?" he offered.

Yari studied him for a moment before nodding his head in agreement, and waving for his procession to back up.

Naruto simply turned his attention to their ship and slipped his hand into his belt-sash, pulling out a scroll before kneeling down and spreading it out across the docks in front of his ship. Once unrolled everyone could see a large line of text surrounding a single circle with a short line piercing it at each corner and the inside of it left blank. The blonde formed his hands into a ram seal before closing his eyes for a moment to channel his chakra, before snapping them open and slamming one hand onto the center of the open circle. "**Daifūinsho**! (Great Sealing Scroll) (11)." shouted the blonde, before both the scroll and the boat were enshrouded in smoke.

Several enforcers automatically reached for their weapons only to stop when the smoke cleared, revealing a still kneeling Naruto with no ship in sight. In the center of the now complete circle was the kanji for '_Ship'_ (船). Naruto easily rerolled the scroll before replacing it in his belt and returned to his standing position. "As I said, we will only need to use your docks again when it is time to leave." stated the blonde calmly.

Yari gave the blonde a level, appraising look before readjusting his glasses. "I see. Very well then, there's still the matter of paying for your guide's services as well as arranging for a new one when you decide to leave. If you'll follow me we can arrange everything in my office." he stated courteously, a small twinge of respect evident in his voice.

On Kuroiwa power was what was respected the most, and Naruto had just demonstrated that he possessed his fair share of it.

_~~~ XXXXX ~~~_

_(Barroom, Short time later)_

Makuro made his way through the filled barroom, heading toward a single booth hidden in the corner of the now bustling room. Taking a seat on one end of the booth he calmly looked toward his contact who sitting easily across from him, his body hidden among the shadows.

"What do you want?" questioned the shadowed figure testily.

"My apologies for disturbing you," apologized the masked guide grandly, "but you and your associates made it well known that you'd pay handsomely if you were alerted to any…interesting figures, who came to our island."

"We did." agreed the shadow. "Did you happen to run across someone like that?"

"Ah, ah, ah." returned the guide, waving a finger scoldingly at the figure. "All information comes at a price as you know." replied Makuro, his smirk evident through his voice even if it was hidden behind his mask.

The shadow seemed to scoff for a moment before a small projectile flew at the masked-nin, who caught it easily, revealing a small, folded wad of bills.

After checking the money, the masked guide placed it in a pocket of his robes before starting to speak. "I ran into two such figures no more than a few hours ago." stated the guide happily. "Two shinobi, one male one female and both no older than their late teens, wanted entry onto our fair island in order to rest and resupply, claiming to be wandering-nin."

"Do you think they actually were?" questioned the figure.

"I believe so." agreed Makuro with a slight shrug. "The boy carried himself similarly to a Konoha shinobi, and most of his equipment appeared to be made in Fire if not Konoha itself, but there were several noticeable differences that make me think he either wasn't officially trained in Konoha or only partially trained there. The girl, on the other hand, carried herself like a Kiri ninja, though not an Academy trained one either, and her kimono seemed to be of Kiri design as well. I doubt they're missing-nin since most keep their headbands to display that they were properly trained as shinobi. So either Konoha and Kiri have entered into some sort of collaboration, which I doubt, or they're actually telling the truth."

"I see." agreed the figure, his hands appearing to fold across the table as he leaned closer, his figure still hidden by the shadows. "And what about these two was so interesting that you thought to bring them to my attention?"

"I believe I recognized the girl." stated Makuro. "She was Zabuza Momochi's apprentice for a time and possesses a kekkai genkai from Kiri, the Hyōton I believe it's called. I'd heard Zabuza had died on a botched mission a few months ago. It seems his former apprentice has now found herself a new travelling companion."

"How do you know this?" questioned the shadow, his voice tinged with a combination of curiosity and caution.

"I acted as a guide for them when they came here before and I never forget a chakra signature, one the reasons I'm so good at my job you see. As for her kekkai genkai, a couple of low-level bounty-hunters attempted to make a name for themselves by taking down the 'Demon of the Mists.' I watched her eliminate the two without getting a single scratch on her using some form of weird ice mirror. After that, I got a bit curious and did some research." answered Makuro with a small shrug.

"Interesting," stated the figure thoughtfully, "and the boy?"

"Oh, now he's a treat." stated Makuro with a grin. "No details on him, but he seems to have at least some skill with fūinjutsu, he used a high-grade C-rank to seal their ship moments after landing and apparently layered their ship with dozens of mid- to high-grade enhancement seals, and is capable of creating and maintaining a large number of solid clones. He had at least three dozen working on their ship when I arrived and not a single one dispelled while I was aboard. He simply claimed that his family had 'naturally large reserves,' when I questioned him about it."

"Fūinjutsu, large reserves, and a potent clone technique, an intriguing combination." agreed the figure as he leaned closer, a shark-like grin now visible on his features. "Tell me more." he stated, sliding another, slightly thicker stack of bills forward.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**JUTSU IDENTIFICATION**

**(1)** **Rōga Nadare no Jutsu** (Wolf Fang Avalanche Technique) – _A-ranked offensive Hyōton ninjutsu_. The user channels their chakra into nearby snow and ice, transforming it into a massive pack of wolves which pursue the target(s) of this technique. If used on a mountainside or similar surface this technique also causes an avalanche directed at their opponent, greatly increasing the wolves' speed and offensive might.

**(2)** **Suiton: Mizuame Nabara** (Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field) – _C-ranked supplementary Suiton ninjutsu_. The user spits out high-viscosity, chakra infused water, aimed at a surface with a wide scope. This is a stream of sticky liquid which can be used to form an adhesive trap that can inhibit or remove the mobility of anything caught in it. One can effectively reduce their enemy's area of activity with this technique, and has the effect of being able to take complete control over the battlefield. Its effects can be negated by channeling chakra into ones feet to walk on the surface without actually touching it.

**(3) ****Shikyaku no Jutsu** (Four Legs Technique) – _D-ranked supplementary Inuzuka ninjutsu_. One of two core jutsu that make up the basis for the Inuzuka clan's fighting style, this technique grants animal-like accelerated fighting instinct and reflexes to the user as well as boosting their strength and speed and altering their appearance into a more feral quality. By enveloping their entire body in chakra and moving on all fours, they can obtain high speed movement and reflexes like that of a wild animal.

(4)** Jūjin Bunshin** (Beast Human Clone) – _D-ranked supplementary Inuzuka ninjutsu_. One of two core jutsu that make up the basis for the Inuzuka clan's fighting style, this modified version/mix of the **Henge no Jutsu** (Transformation Technique) and clone technique allows a canine-user to transform their animal companion into a perfect copy of themselves. When combined with the **Shikyaku no Jutsu** (Four Legs Technique), the user and the animal become virtually impossible to tell apart, since both act equally animalistic

(5) **Gatsūga **(Fang Passing Fang) – _C-ranked offensive Inuzuka taijutsu_. The user and their ninken partner(s) spin at a ferocious speed, physically appearing to turn into a tornado or drill-like form, while flying toward opponents. The slightest contact results in several savage strikes landing from the users wildly spinning claws. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone.

(6)** Suiton: Teppōdama (Water Release: Gunshot) – **_C-ranked offensive Suiton ninjutsu_. The user concentrates chakra into their mouth before kneading it and converting it into water, which can then be fired in multiple shots, depending on the amount of chakra the user put into it. Unlike many Suiton jutsu this requires no nearby water sources, a rare advantage for Suiton wielders.

(7)** Futenga **(Descending Heavenly Fang) – _B-ranked offensive Inuzuka taijutsu_. A collaboration technique that requires the user to work in tandem with their ninken partner(s) in order to work. Both first leap into the air before one uses the other as a springboard to increase their speed and momentum in a downward charge that is quickly combined with **Tsuga **(Passing Fang) technique. The additional speed and momentum, combined with the boost from gravity, make this attack extremely devastating but more difficult to maneuver once launched.

**(8)**** Suiton: Suigun Suima no Jutsu** (Water Release: Water Army Water Demon Technique) _– C-ranked offensive/supplementary Suiton ninjutsu_. The user(s) gathers nearby water into a large, swirling steam that can then be directed by the user to strike at a number of angles. While not extremely powerful, the stream is capable of knocking most opponents away and/or off their feet. It is best used by two users in collaboration, one controlling the movement and direction of the water while the other controls the strength and flow. Also due to its control it is especially useful for putting out fires.

(9) **Fūbaku Hōjin **(Sealed Bomb Square Release) – _B-ranked supplementary kekkai ninjutsu_. A _kekkai_ (barrier) ninjutsu created with the placement of multiple exploding tags around a certain area before the barrier is activate. The tags can be detonated or shut off with a handseal by the controller and should their opponent attempt to move, the tags explode. The barrier also contains and directs the explosion inward, increasing the power of the blast and limiting the damage done to the surrounding area.

**(10) Ninpō: Anzen'na Tsūkō no Hyōshiki **(Ninja Art: Beacon of Safe Passage) – _C-ranked supplementary ninjutsu technique_. The user focuses their chakra through a specially-prepared lamp or similar object, intensifying its light before directing it into a narrow beam. Often used as a way of deactivating barriers and other defenses using specially prepared lanterns keyed to the barrier's signal and the user's chakra.

(11) **Daifūinsho** (Great Sealing Scroll) – _C-ranked supplementary fūinjutsu technique_. A more advanced form of the D-ranked Fūinsho (sealing scroll) technique designed to store larger and/or heavier objects using a more advanced seal array to enhance the power of a storage seal, but also requires a much larger chakra cost.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**END CHAPTER 9**

**And it ends, my first step on my original story idea**

**I was unsure about adding the fight between Team Iruka and Nadare, but it sort of came to life on its own.**

**Anyway, the Kageiwa arc's going to be pretty short, probably another two, maybe three chapters, it's more of a transitionary arc into the main storyline.**

**READ AND REVIEW**


	10. Picking Up Trouble

Naruto: Hunt for the Nine Rings

**Review Response**

_illusionfox_**: **Not necessarily.

**DivergenceMagic**: Thank you for the support. Haku will not be dying in this one, particularly by an oversized calamari. While the tracking team has had some close calls so far, they won't be finding him for a little while, and then it will be for different reasons than one might expect. Sarutobi's not going to be forgiven anytime soon, if at all, and Kakashi has his own piper to pay, but that will come much later.

**Meteorthunder3**: Made up, and thank you I wasn't sure about putting it in when I first started the chapter, but it sort of developed on its own and I'm quite proud of the result.

**Ryu no Kitsune**: Interesting, but no dice, I've already got all ten planned out.

**Leaf Ranger**: Why does everyone assume its Kisame? A lot of Kiri shinobi had shark-teeth, and even more 'shark-like grins' do not mean shark-man.

**huntsman3**: Wrong on both counts, but glad for someone guessing other than Kisame.

**Dragonskyt**: Ah Tortuga, a haven of corruption and deviance. It was actually one of the better inspirations for Kuroiwa.

**ben revel**: 1) No, 2) What do you think, 3) Yes, but later, 4) Yes, but I'm stretching out the timeline a bit, putting the Chūnin exams later than they were in canon to give Naruto room to grow.

_Guest_: No new groups and NO KISAME DAMN IT! Seriously, it's too early for the fish-man, as good as Naruto's gotten, he and Haku would still be slaughtered by the Great Blue Shinobi.

**MrNeedsToRemoveAllFavs**: I didn't say she was bleeding out, just that she was dying.

**Woflone10**: True, but think about this way: The idiot persona is what Naruto is known by, if he starts acting differently people will get suspicious and that's a big no-no. So in order to keep the charade going, idiot mask must be preserved.

**ballinore**: Thank you, as for the dragon, yes there is a dragon contract, and no pirate attacks, I've got something else planned.

**agnar**: I suppose I could have explained that one better, but let me try. Kakashi wasn't suffering as badly from this fight because it wasn't as bad, he wasn't trapped, didn't use his Sharingan as much, and only tried to use a Chidori instead of Raikiri. He was saving chakra in order to keep the Naruto duplicate up and running. If he'd had to he could have done a lot more. Also I think Chakra Exhaustion takes a long time to recover from, but reserves fill faster, add in he could have scarfed a soldier pill or two on the way, and we have a Kakashi capable of throwing around a lot of mid-level jutsu. And remember, he's an elite jounin, almost kage-level, even as improved as Naruto was, his clones are still frail one-hit knockouts.

_**To everyone else who read and reviewed thank you for your time and attention**_

"Normal Speech"

'_Normal Thought'_

"**Demon/Large Summon Speech"**

'_**Demon/Large Summon Thought' **_

**Jutsu**, _Kung Fu Technique,_ _Ring Power_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Marvel, or even the original idea for this story. All I own is any of my original ideas. **

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**Chapter 10 Picking Up Trouble**

_(Kuroiwa Warehouse District, Three Weeks Later) _

Naruto yawned as he felt himself stir into wakefulness. As the blonde slowly crawled out of bed, careful not to disturb his still sleeping bedmate, he looked around the large flat that had been their home since they'd arrived nearly a month ago. It was large and quite spacious, easily three or four times the size of his old apartment back in Konoha, containing a large sitting room, kitchen, bath, and a separate bedroom with a large double bed. It was situated over a large warehouse that they'd rented as well to use as a private training ground. Yari had negotiated the rent on behalf of the owner as well as the terms, taking a small 'finder's fee' from the final agreement as payment.

Yawning to himself slightly as he stretched, the blonde quickly went through his morning routine, a quick shower, brushing his teeth, followed by tying his hair back into its short ponytail and getting dressed before heading down the two flights of steps to the warehouse's main floor, which was currently empty besides the small amount of training equipment that they'd unsealed after moving in.

After stretching lightly to work out the morning kinks, the blonde began flexing his muscles testingly. "Guess, it's about time I boost the weights again." muttered the blonde when he noticed he no longer felt any significant drag from his limbs. He slowly formed an Ox seal and began channeling chakra into the seals placed around his wrists and ankles, slowly raising the weights. Settling on about seventy-five pounds on his arms, and ninety on his legs. According to his mom's journal, it was best to start differentiating the weights on the upper and lower body after a certain point. Something about how the leg muscles were supposed to be stronger than the arms, Naruto hadn't really got it but had still complied. After he'd reached fifty pounds each, he'd started increasing the differential with each increase. When he'd first raised it, there was only five pounds difference, fifty-five and sixty pounds respectively, and now he was up to about fifteen pounds.

Once finished, the blonde flexed again, feeling the dull pull on his muscles from the increased strength of the weights. Nodding his approval, he quickly formed his hands into the now familiar cross-sign of his favorite technique, the blonde channeled his chakra and proclaimed, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**! (Shadow Clone Technique)," calling over eight dozen clones into being. "Alright you lot, let's get to work!" ordered the original to his assembled doppelgangers.

The massed clones let out a loud and synchronized "Aye!" accompanied by a plethora of raised fists

"You five are on Rabbit while you five work on Crane, you six work Snake, you six on Northern Mantis, you six on Southern Mantis, and you six work on Dog. I want you ten to continue working on putting them together into a single style, now that we've got Dog down pat, it should fill in some of the gaps. I want the ten of you working on Suiton today, half on jutsu practice and the other half on affinity training, while you ten do the same for Fūton and you guys work on Raiton. The rest of you split up into groups of six, six on water-walking, six on wall-walking, six on Fūinjutsu practice, and the last six practices our shurikenjutsu." ordered the blonde dispatching the clones at random.

The clones saluted as one with another loud "Aye!" before splitting into their assigned groups. The taijutsu practitioners spaced themselves throughout the large warehouse floor while the fūinjutsu headed off to find a quiet spot outside the city so they wouldn't cause any damage with a misdrawn seal. The Suiton and water-walker headed toward a largely unused portion of the nearby docks to practice, while the Fūton and Raiton workers joined the fūinjutsu team heading to the outskirts of town where they'd cause less damage with a mishap. The wall-walkers and shurikenjutsu workers also headed outside, wall-walkers using the sides of the building for practice while the shurikenjutsu workers were using a nearby lot that had the burned-down wreck of a former warehouse as a target range.

As the clones headed off to work, Naruto headed toward his section of the warehouse to start his own training with his newest style, Leopard.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_**Hey it's been a while, but a lot of things have been happening. I guess I should explain. **_

_**Well first off, I started the newest form earlier this week: Leopard. It's a very offensively focused style with the only real defense being dodges. 'The Leopard does not block, for that only wastes time which can be used to attack,' is how Gramps described it. Gramps says that Leopard combines the aspects of Speed and Power into one form, meaning it's meant to hit fast and hard. There are no real stances in it either, instead it focuses on hit-and-run tactics, always staying in motion, either attacking, dodging, or preparing for the next attack. Its signature move is something called the 'leopard fist' which is basically a half-opened fist. From what Gramps showed me either the ridge formed by the bent fingers or the palm can be used to strike and it has surprising penetrating power when used as a thrust, and the curved fingers can work a lot like claws when slashed. It also features something I haven't learned before, a technique called 'circle walking.' It's basically walking in a broad circle while keeping your focus solely on the center of the circle, which is usually your opponent. It's a lot more difficult than it looks, just keeping you balance while doing it is hard, but it's useful practice and Gramps says it can really unnerve or unbalance opponents in a fight. Its weapon of choice is a curved, single-edged saber called a Dao, which are usually wielded in matched pairs rather than singularly.**_

_**Anyway, a couple days later Dad came to visit and had everyone gather for a family meeting. Family meetings are hardly ever a good thing, the last time we had one was right before I started training and it was because a group of Iwa-nin had tried to assassinate Dad while he was on a diplomatic mission. If it wasn't for the fact that the group had been declared nuke-nin a week before it could have ended up starting a war. As it was, all it caused was a 'major political shit-storm' as Gramps described it and a few extra shinobi being assigned as guards around the house. Anyway, we all gathered in the meeting room around the small table. Dad was sitting at the head; Gramps and Granny were on one side while Mom and I were on the other. After we all sat down, Dad made the announcement. In two years, I'll be heading to Konoha for five years, starting with a year attending their Shinobi Academy then four years working as a shinobi, in accordance with the peace treaty Great Grandfather signed with the Shodaime and my status as heiress of Uzu. **_

_**Gramps was furious when he heard, shouting that it would ruin my training. I've never seen Gramps shout at Dad before and I hope I don't ever have to see it again. Gramps was so angry his chakra was visible and flaring off him; some of it reached out and crushed a teacup sitting in front of him into powder while he shouted. I keep forgetting that, before he retired and gave the position as Daimyo of Whirlpool and leader of Uzushiogakure to Dad, Gramps was one of the most feared shinobi alive, a man who was supposed to be a match for the Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju, in his prime. I just couldn't connect the cantankerous old goat that I call Gramps with the man who earned the nickname 'Ryūsō.'**_ (Dragon Claw)

_**I don't think that's going to be a problem from now on. **_

_**But Dad didn't even flinch. He just stared calmly at Gramps and told him that it had to be done in order to keep our alliance secure. They both just stared at each other for a while after that, neither one so much as blinking. I swear lightning was starting to spark between them when Gramps finally backed down. Mom was really excited about this, which is strange since she's usually so mature and in-control. She was going on about how much I'd love Konoha and what a beautiful place her homeland was. I guess I was pretty excited to, it'll be the first time I've left home for a period longer than a few days. Then she started about how I may meet the perfect boy, just like she met Dad. BLEGH! I'm soooo not interested in being all kissy-face with a boy. **_

_**After the meeting ended and Dad left, Gramps took me to the side. He told me that, 'if this foolishness is going to happen then we're going to increase your training. I will not have you leaving our homeland for that village unprepared.' I was really surprised by that. Konoha's supposed to be one of our oldest and most trusted allies, hell Great, Great Aunt Mito married the Shodaime Hokage, but Gramps is talking about it like it was our worst enemy. When I asked him, he gave me a look I couldn't really place; it looked like something half-way between a scowl and a smirk, before telling me he'd explain before I left. **_

_**This is really confusing, but I guess I'll find out the truth eventually. 'Til then I'm going to bed. Talk to you later. **_

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

Naruto frowned in thought as he remembered that entry while he moved through a quick, striking kata for Leopard. It sounded like something had happened between his family and Konoha, something that had left a bad taste in at least a few peoples' mouths. A part of him was tempted to skip ahead and see what had happened, but he quickly shook it off. Finding out would just add more motivation to learning his newest form faster so he could move on in the journal.

"Morning lover." whispered Haku as she appeared behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a loose embrace.

Naruto instantly relaxed from the slight tense he'd fallen into when she'd snuck up on him. "Morning Haku-chan, how'd you know I was the original?"

"You're the only one practicing this style, the others are practicing ones I've seen before." answered the dark-haired ice-user as she kissed his cheek. "Remember, we're heading to Nezumi's later. He sent a messenger last night saying that our order had come in." she reminded him.

"We can leave around 2 and grab an early dinner on our way back." offered Naruto. The two had come to greatly enjoy eating out over the course of the month. After spending several months eating only what they could gather, cook, and safely store in scrolls, the novelty of having someone else cook for them wasn't going to fade fast. The fact that Kuroiwa had plenty of restaurants and taverns available that served good food and they had money to burn thanks to Gatō and his mother's accounts only helped make the decision to eat out as often as they wanted while they had an opportunity

"I think the Black Boar is making that fish chowder you enjoy so much tonight." offered Haku, noting Naruto's favorite places nearby, a tavern just a couple streets down from the from their warehouse. The clientele was a little rough but the food was always good, cheap, and with very generous portions.

"It's a date." agreed the blonde as he wrapped Haku in a brief hug and gave her a quick kiss, which the giggling ice-user eagerly returned, before he watched her turn and walk away, the blonde's eyes happily lingering on her form as she left

She would be joining the clones by the waterfront for her own training. From what his clones had observed, she was making good progress translating the scrolls she'd recovered in Snow to work with her bloodline and was steadily improving with her own fighting style as well.

Naruto smile stiffened slightly as he returned to his practice. He would not, could not, stop. He needed to grow stronger, not just to complete his goal, but to protect his tenshi as well.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Kuroiwa Streets, Several Hours Later)_

Naruto and Haku walked easily down the black-stone streets that made up much of the port town, the road and surrounding shops were much more sedate than they were the night they had arrived. Kuroiwa was a center for commerce, even if it was underworld commerce, Kuroiwa was never truly dead. Still, due to its nature, the place was more active at night, most of the day business centered around the docks, where ships left and came in. Most of the stores were open and trading, people walked through the street, some groups muttering quietly among themselves while others were loud and boisterous, many of those obviously drunk by their stumbling gaits, while individuals either walked quietly along, their faces averted, or ran, working on one errand or another. At first glance it looked to be like any other busy and industrious port town.

Then one noticed it, a slight unease in the air. Naruto often said it made him think of a forest filled with predators all sizing each other up, trying to decide who was prey and who was to be avoided. Neither young shinobi failed to notice that most of those they passed eyed them as they walked by, as if trying to judge whether they were marks worth the effort. Luckily, their shinobi equipment, which both wore openly, dissuaded most of them from taking a second glance. Shinobi were hardly ever worth the effort unless they had a bounty on them, and even then it was hardly ever easy.

"I hate the feel of this place." grumbled Naruto, the uneasy feeling of the city putting him in a foul mood whenever they moved into the city proper. It reminded him too much of Konoha.

"I know love, and I'm not too fond of it either. We've already got the paperwork for the Dragon ready so if our orders are complete then we can leave as soon as we'd like." agreed Haku.

"We'll talk more about it over dinner, but leaving soon sounds like a good idea to me." stated Naruto as they arrived at their destination.

It was a two-story building, made from the same black stone as the rest of the island. A sign hung out over the door, showing a painted image of a rat sleeping on top of a chest, the words, 'Nezumi's War Chest' painted in dark red kanji surrounding the image. Standing on either side of the door, two large and surly men dressed in the uniform of the island's enforcers stood guard.

The two guards eyed the young shinobi as they stepped in; giving both a glare that clearly stated "Don't start trouble." Once inside the two studied the racks of weapons as they headed toward the counter on the opposite side of the shop. As always the room was filled with a wide array of weapons in all sizes, shapes, and quality. There were barrels filled with low quality swords and spears, racks displaying more impressive weapons, and the best were displayed on the walls, secured in glass cases reinforced with seals.

As they approached the counter, Naruto caught sight of the shop's owner and proprietor, Nezumi. When Naruto had first met the man, his most immediate thought had been that either _Nezumi_ (Rat) was a nickname, or fate had a very twisted sense of humor. The man was medium height and extremely lanky, with thin reedy arms and legs and noticeably long fingers. He had a narrow face with small black eyes, oily black hair that he wore in a long braided ponytail that made Naruto think of a rat's tail, and an unusually small and twitchy nose. Turning his attention to them as they approached, he smiled in greeting, revealing a pair of unusually large buckteeth.

"Haku-san, Naruto-san. So glad to see you." greeted the man in a friendly and professional manner.

"Nezumi-san." greeted Naruto cordially, nodding his head at the man. "Your messenger said our orders were done?"

"Of course, of course." agreed the rat-like merchant, nodding his head absently. "Just let me get the items from the back." he stated before turning around and moving to one of the shelves that were lined up behind the counter. "Haku-san's and most of your order I already had in stock, but the final items gave me a bit of trouble. Luckily one of my business associates acquired a full set shortly after the Third War ended. I've already done a thorough inspection to ensure their quality of course, and they are top of the line."

Nezumi called himself an 'import and export manager specialized in the sale and resale of military and shinobi items.' In other words he was a smuggler, trafficker, and fence specializing in the weapons market, particularly shinobi weapons and equipment. He prided himself on handling quality goods, and always backed his guarantees when it came to the quality of his merchandise. It was actually a good survival tool when dealing with shinobi, after all nobody wanted disgruntled customers when said customers were mostly highly trained assassins. Haku had met the man on her previous visits to the island with Zabuza, the man acting as her former mentor's chief supplier for equipment. The rat-like merchant had actually expressed what Naruto thought might actually have been _genuine_ remorse when Haku had confirmed Zabuza's death, whether over the loss of a good customer or some actual respect for the man Naruto wasn't sure. That didn't stop the young ice-user from carefully avoiding mentioning where Zabuza had died. She didn't want the man trying to claim Kubikiribōchō to sell, that is, if the Konoha group hadn't taken it for themselves.

"Ah, here we are." exclaimed Nezumi as he picked up a set of several scrolls and a wrapped package and brought them up to counter. "Let's see, Haku-san. First item, twenty-five standard sets of senbon, ten sets of exploding notes, ten standard medic-nin field kits, and five sets each of shuriken and kunai, all top-quality." stated the merchant as he picked up one scroll and unrolled it, revealing several storage seals.

Haku selected one at random and charged it wither chakra, causing a container of about a hundred senbon needles to appear in a puff of smoke. Picking up one of the needles Haku examined it before tossing it at a target dummy placed on the opposite side of the counter. The needle impacted perfectly, piercing the dummy on a vital point in the neck. Haku nodded her head in approval as she resealed the rest of the container.

"Second item," continued Nezumi, opening another scroll once he confirmed Haku was satisfied with the senbon, "a dozen pressurized senbon-launchers. These are seal-augmented and can be activated through chakra manipulation as well as physical activation. They are slightly more expensive than their mechanized counterparts but the extra versatility is well worth it in my humble opinion."

Once again Haku activated one of the seals at random and tested the small device, strapping it to her wrist before firing a pair of senbon at the target dummy, one usually the chakra method as Nezumi instructed, the other using the physical method. The weapon's accuracy was slightly off, but Haku was pretty sure that was mostly due to her lack of practice with this particular weapon. Still they'd be a useful addition once she had gotten the hang of them. They not only allowed longer range than her normal senbon, but the launchers put substantially more power behind each shot than a thrown senbon had.

"Final item," finished Nezumi as he unrolled another scroll, this one with a single seal and unsealed it himself, revealing a slightly longer than average sword with a more pronounced curve, "one sword, high-quality steel in addition to being chakra conductive. Given the description of the sword-type you wanted I went with an uchigatana rather than a standard katana. It's designed for faster drawing and striking, and particularly well-suited for Iaido or _Battōjutsu_ (Art of Sword Drawing) techniques, but it's a good sword for any speed-based kenjutsu style."

Haku took the offered sword and drew it before going through a few test swings, checking its balance and weight, before attempting to channel her chakra through it and getting a satisfying glow in confirmation. Resheathing the blade, she hooked the scabbard's mount onto her supply belt and adjusted it so the hilt rested easily against her side for easy drawing.

Seeing that Haku was satisfied, Nezumi turned his attention to Naruto. "Now Naruto-san, the first part of yours was a bulk order correct?" questioned the rat-like merchant as he picked up the last, and largest, scroll. "Fifteen sets each of both kunai and shuriken and five sets of Fūma shuriken, all top quality. Ten sets each of assorted smoke bombs, flash bombs, and flash-bangs. Thirty spools of high-strength wire strings. Twenty-five large containers of top-quality ink and twenty sets each of sealing scrolls and paper." as he read off each section he began unrolling the scroll, revealing several sections of storage seals, each marked with a different header.

Naruto nodded as he quickly checked several seals at random, making sure everything was as he'd ordered it. The merchant nodded in return before turning his attention to the cloth-wrapped bundle he'd brought up with the scrolls, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Now the other item was the tricky bit." stated Nezumi excitedly as he began unwrapping the cloth bundle. "Uzu weapons are quite rare these days, since it's been nearly twenty years since the nation and its village was destroyed at the start of the Third War. Luckily one of my contacts recently secured these. It actually came from an Iwa-nin involved in the original attack. He took these as a trophy when the invasion was done. After the war ended, the man fell on some hard times and sold off most of his war trophies to a contact of mine in order to cover some bad debts. So, when I started asking around, he was kind enough to sell them to me, for a modest sum of course." he explained as he finished unwrapping the package, revealing its contents.

Sitting on the now opened cloth was a pair of armored leather bracers. They appeared to be divided in half, the bottom half showing pure black leather while the upper half was covered in what appeared to be a several interlinked plates of dark blue-black metal. Inscribed on the armored portion of the guards were twenty animals, circling around a single spiral located at the center of the bracer, all of it depicted in gold. Studying the items closely Naruto noticed an array of seals scribed both in the leather and the metal portions of the guard. Just from his brief once-over Naruto noticed several enhancement seals and a storage array connected to the images on the top portion of the guards.

"Each of the animal images corresponds to a specific storage seal carved into the metal." explained Nezumi as he touched one of the symbols; one depicting a mantis with its claws raised high. "Simply channel chakra into the appropriate image and…" in a puff of smoke a tonfa, no a Guǎi, appeared in the man's hand. "and a corresponding weapon is unsealed. I have no idea why each weapon is located under each animal, but the seals seemed to be designed to store only that specific weapon." finished the man as he resealed the weapon back into its slot.

Naruto slowly picked up the bracers and studied them more closely, until he noticed an engraving in the underside of the leather. It was a name, Kushina Uzumaki.

Naruto throat suddenly ran dray. "Do you know anything else about them?" he asked; his voice suddenly hoarse.

Nezumi seemed to think for a moment. "Well my contact did say the man he bought them from claimed they were supposed to be a welcome home gift for the princess of the nation. Something about how she was supposed to return from a diplomatic mission that had taken her away from home for several years only a few months after Uzu was destroyed. Though, I think he was just trying to get a better price out of them. After all, what kind of princess carries around a plethora of weapons?"

'_An Uzumaki princess.'_ thought Naruto solemnly as he slowly strapped the bracers onto his wrists, the leather seemingly melding into a solid shape once he finished tightening them. Cautiously, he slowly unsealed each of the first six, a pair of war fans, a jian, a matched set of tonfa, another pair of kama-like sickles, a pair of steel batons, and a matched set of sabers; testing each of them through a set of practice kata before moving on to the other twelve, ensuring they were all still in the best condition. They were.

"I take it everything is in acceptable condition?" questioned Nezumi calmly.

Naruto merely nodded before reaching into his belt-sash and pulling out a small purse and tossing it to the merchant, who caught it easily, before picking up his other scroll and placing it in his belt while Haku did the same with hers. The man slowly opened the pouch and checked its contents, pulling out a single golden koban coin and taking an experimental bite to ensure it was real. The gold koban were worth a good deal more than the simple ryō bills most used, and that bag had contained a good number of them, easily paying for the small arsenal the two shinobi had purchased. Seemingly satisfied with both the amount and the quality, he placed the pouch in one of his pockets and bid the two a good day.

As they walked out, Haku leaned in close to him. "What's wrong?" she whispered worriedly.

"I'll explain when we get to the tavern." stated the blonde, his eyes never leaving the bracers now wrapped securely around his forearms.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

_(Kuroi Izakaya _(Black Boar Tavern),_ an hour later.)_

"So those bracers belonged to your mother?" asked Haku quietly to her tablemate. The sound was barely audible in the clamor of the tavern they were sitting in. The Black Boar was a large and spacious establishment that, even during the slowness of the day, always had a steady stream of customers. It was a loud and boisterous place, making it an easy place for the two shinobi to go unnoticed. They were currently enjoying a meal of thick and nicely spiced fish chowder, fresh bread, and some cooked greens.

"No, but they were meant for her. They were supposed to be some kind of welcome-home gift for when she came back from her time in Konoha." explained Naruto. Uzu's destruction at the hands of Iwa was actually the attack that started the Third Shinobi World War. Also, it had occurred mere months before his mother was scheduled to return from her six year stay in Konoha. Naruto couldn't help but wonder what his life would have been like if Uzu hadn't been destroyed. Would he have even been born at all, since it had occurred several years before his own birth shortly after the war had ended?

Sensing her lover's falling mood, Haku gently reached out and squeezed his hand. Naruto looked up and smiled at her. _'Better not to dwell on 'what ifs."_ he told himself. _'I am here now and I will rebuild Uzu one day. I swear it on my name as an Uzumaki.'_

"Hey babe, why don't you drop the runt and spend some time with a real man!" a drunken shout suddenly broke Naruto from his musings. Turning his head towards the source of the noise, Naruto caught a look at the offender. It was a man, late thirties maybe early forties. He had short dark black hair and a pronounced scar over one eye. He was dressed in dark green shinobi pants, and a dark green sleeveless vest which left most of his torso bare. Which was not a good thing since, while the man sported the proper muscles of a shinobi, his rather hairy stomach bulged in a pronounced beer gut. His forearms and fists were wrapped in bandages and he wore a slashed _Kusagakure_ (Hidden Grass) headband on his left bicep while the right was covered in a large cobra tattoo. He also carried an open and half-empty bottle in one hand

Haku promptly ignored the man while Naruto snorted. This guy had to be at least twice their age. It was pretty pathetic.

This seemed to anger the slightly inebriated man. "HEY! Don't ignore me you brats! Do you know who I am!?" roared the man drunkenly.

"No, and we don't really care." responded Naruto absently as he turned his attention back to his chowder.

"I'm Habase Tomori, the Kusa no Kobura (Cobra of the Grass) you punk!" shouted the man indignantly. "I'm one of the most feared nin to ever come from Kusa! The fucking bastards are too scared to even send hunter-nin after me or put me in the Bingo Book. I've killed hundreds, no thousands of nin. I even faced down Orochimaru of the Sannin and beat him before he managed to run away! A couple of worthless Wutari-nin like you don't even deserve to be in the same room as someone like me." shouted the man as he tried to loom intimidatingly over Naruto, who obviously couldn't care less about the man's boasting.

"Then please, leave our most unworthy presence." stated Naruto sarcastically, not even bothering to look up from his meal. Across the table Haku giggled softly.

"You little fucking…" snarled the Kusa-nin, before he swung the bottle still in his hand at the blonde's head in hopes of smashing both in a single swing.

Instead the bottle passed through empty air as Naruto easily leant forward and under the incoming attack. Then the blonde pushed himself up off his stool, allowing him to easily spin around and face his attacker. At the end of his spin he lashed out with one leg, connecting the back of his heel solidly with the older man's ankle with a loud crack, causing him to buckle to one side with shout of pain. Seconds later Naruto's rising knee came flying upward, connecting with the man's descending jaw and sending the already injured man flying backward to the ground and into unconsciousness, while Naruto plopped easily back into his seat.

Naruto slowly looked up and caught sight of two other men, both wearing slashed Kusa headbands, who'd been standing back the whole time. Both were now staring wide-eyed at him, occasionally glancing to the downed man before refocusing their gazes on Naruto. It was obvious the two were this Tomori guy's teammates or subordinates, and it was equally obvious both were scared stupid by the blonde's display of skill. One had a hand slowly and shakily heading toward his kunai pouch.

Naruto really didn't feel like getting in a fight that could see them all kicked out from his favorite tavern. "Take your friend, pay for your drinks, and leave." ordered the blonde coolly, his eyes never leaving the two Kusa nuke-nin. Next to him Haku, shifted slightly, readying herself for a fight if needed.

The two Kusa-nin exchanged a look before looking back at Naruto and nodding. One stepped forward and picked up their unconscious friend, while the other reached into a pouch and dropped some bills on the table before helping the other carry the unconscious Tomori out.

The silence that had covered the tavern when Tomori had started making his scene quickly faded back to the normal hum of active noise that filled the tavern. Naruto looked toward the bartender, who caught his eye and offered a quiet nod showing that all was well, before turning back and returning to his meal.

"That was quite the impressive display." a new voice interposed, this one far calmer and quite sober.

Lifting his head slightly, Naruto caught sight of a new trio that were calmly approaching his and Haku's table.

One was a guy who looked slightly older than them. He was slightly taller than average and had broad shoulders. His face was mostly covered by a dark green hood shaped like a fish and a facemask, leaving only his eyes, and a pair of curving purple-red marking beneath each of them, visible. He was dressed in black shinobi pants, a long-sleeved gray shirt, a dull green, sleeveless vest with a dark green fish scale pattern over his shirt, and a dark green scarf wrapped around his neck. His forearms were wrapped in bandages and a giant shuriken was secured against his back.

Standing next to him was a young woman, again apparently slightly older than them. She was slightly taller than average with a slender build. She had dark brown hair held back by dark purple barrette with a fish-head design and cold blue eyes that were surrounded by a pair of dark purple markings. Like her partner, the lower half of her face was covered by a facemask. She was dressed in black shinobi pants, and a dull purple sleeveless vest with a dark purple fish scale pattern similar to her partners, only with a prominent slit down the center that emphasized her bust and showed a chain mesh shirt beneath, and a dark purple scarf wrapped around her neck. Her forearms were also covered in bandages and she had a matched pair of kama strapped to her back.

Lastly, standing slightly ahead of and in-between the two others was the apparent leader and speaker of the group. He appeared slightly younger than the other two, probably the same age as Naruto and Haku, He stood the slightest bit shorter than the other male, but much narrower in build. He was wearing a shark-like hood that covered the majority of his short black hair, leaving only a small patch viewable from the front and a small length shaped like a dorsal fin coming from the back of his hood. His eyes were a cold green and he had a pair of dark violet marking beneath each one, shaped like crescent moons with a single line going down each cheek from the center of each moon. He was dressed in black shinobi pants, a dull blue sleeveless vest with a dark blue fish scale pattern over a long-sleeved white sweater, and wore a white scarf around his neck. Like his comrades his forearms were wrapped in bandages, but he didn't carry any visible weapons.

Naruto shrugged. "Either the guy was lying through his teeth or the quality of Kusa-nin has really gone downhill." he answered casually.

The lead man smiled, revealing sharp, shark-like teeth much like Zabuza had once possessed. "It's the former I assure you." he agreed, before motioning to an open stool across from them. "Do you mind?"

Naruto gave Haku a glance. When she shrugged, he nodded his head in agreement.

Still grinning, the man took the seat while his companions stood behind him. "My name is Kajika, and these are my companions Iwana," the green-clothed one nodded, "and Yamame." the purple-clothed kunoichi nodded. "As for the fellow you just sent packing, the self-acclaimed _Kobura_ (Cobra) is a mere genin who deserted his village with his teammates after failing to be promoted ten times. The only reason they aren't already dead is the fact that his village doesn't view him as worth putting a bounty on just yet. Though, unless he learns to keep his mouth shut, someone is going to kill him out of principle alone sooner or later."

"So what do you want Kajika-san." asked Haku coolly as she studied him. "I highly doubt you came over here to simply let us know that my partner just beat-up a genin missing-nin."

"Ah, straight to the point, I like that." stated Kajika with a small predatory grin. "Very well then, the reason I came is that I have an offer I'd like you two to consider."

"An offer?" asked Naruto curiously, raising an eyebrow.

Kujika nodded his head before explaining, "Yes, our Master has tasked us with keeping an eye on this dingy little rock. When you two arrived, your guide was kind enough to inform us, and we've been keeping an eye on the two of you ever since, and what we've seen has been most impressive."

"You've been spying on us." growled Naruto lowly, his eyes narrowing as he regarded the dark-haired boy.

"More like scouting." returned Kajika calmly. "You see our Master is attempting to do something great, but requires more skilled individuals to make it a reality. We're what you could call talent scouts, looking for those with the right abilities and temperament to help him accomplish his goal."

"And what is this goal exactly?" questioned Haku

"The formation of a new shinobi village." answered Kujika grandly.

This caused both Naruto and Haku to raise their eyebrows in surprise. Forming a new shinobi village was indeed a grand undertaking. Anyone attempting to do so would require vast amounts of capital and resources, not to mention the ear of a Daimyo and great personal power and charisma.

"That's quite a goal." stated Haku calmly. "I believe the last time a new village was formed was when _Sanshōuo no Hanzō_ (Hanzō of the Salamander) united the warring clans of Rain Country and formed _Amegakure no Sato_ (Village Hidden in/by the Rain) at the start of the Second War."

"Indeed." agreed Kajika. "Our master is among the greatest shinobi ever born. With the formation of our own village he hopes to create a place above the fickle politics of the warmongering Great Five. A place where we shinobi can find and unlock our true potential and surpass it." the young nin's eyes seemed to glow with a fanatical light as he spoke of his master and his great plans.

"And you want us to join?" asked Naruto, not having a very good feeling about this.

"That is correct." agreed Kajika again, a grin now showing itself on his lips. "Our village is almost complete, but _Otogakure no Sato _(Village Hidden by the Sound) is still lacking in the most important resource: skilled shinobi. We've been watching the two of you, and can see plainly that you both possess a great amount of potential. Come with us and our Master will help you not only reach that potential, but surpass it." promised the dark-haired shinobi.

Naruto and Haku shared a look, neither liking this. Neither had an interest in joining a village at the moment, Naruto's, and by extension Haku's, quest to find the other eight rings being far more important in both of their minds. That and the way Kajika spoke about this 'Master' of his was definitely unnatural. You can tell a lot about people from the way those who serve them refer to them. A man despised by those who serve them rules by either fear or a long-standing tradition. A man who is spoken of kindly is likely to be loved or at least respected. The way Kajika talked about this Master of his, it was more like a priest referring to his god rather than a shinobi referring to his leader. That kind of rabid devotion set off alarm bells in both their minds.

After two finished sharing their silent glance, it was Haku who answered. "While it is a very interesting offer Kajika-san, I'm afraid we'll have to pass. Currently we are already committed to a job, and it is of dire importance to both of us that it be completed. Perhaps in the future…" she finished uncommittingly.

Neither missed the way the two shinobi standing behind Kajika stiffened slightly at the response, or how the man's eyes darkened slightly as well. "A shame." stated Kajika absently as he rose to leave. "If you two change your minds, we're staying at the Black Wind." he offered over his shoulder as he and his companions left the tavern.

After a couple minutes, Naruto and Haku turned to face each other.

"What do you think?" asked Haku calmly.

"I think we should leave as soon as possible," answered Naruto cautiously, "and I don't think our new friends are the types that take rejection all too well."

"Agreed, if we have your clones start packing up as soon as we get back, we can be ready to leave when the ports open at first light." agreed Haku. While incoming ships were allowed to enter Kuroiwa's ports after dark, ships were only allowed to leave during daylight, something about the currents and security according to Yari.

Naruto merely nodded as the two stood to leave, placing their money on the table before heading toward their home to start packing.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

_(Approximately 2 am next morning, Warehouse District)_

Two figures moved through the darkness of the night. Expertly flitting from shadow to shadow until they found their target, before easily cutting through the meager defenses that kept the door closed. Once inside the two shadows expertly moved forward. A half-dozen blondes stood guard on the warehouse's floor, passing the time by seemingly practicing the kata for some form of taijutsu. The two shadows moves quickly and effectively, destroying the blondes in a blur of motion. Two fell as a sickle-like blade passed through each of their throats. Another three fell as a giant shuriken passed through them in a blur of razor-edged steel. As the other five disappeared in puffs of smoke, the last tried to raise the alarm, opening his mouth to yell only for a kunai to pierce his throat before a sound could exit before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Retrieving their weapons from where they'd fallen after the clones had been dispatched, the two figures, now revealed as Iwana and Yamame, quickly climbed the steps, passing silently through the rooms until they reached the bedroom door. Silently easing the door open, the two assassins shared a silent grin when they saw two figures, seemingly asleep in the bed. Gripping her kama in each hand Yamame leapt forward, lashing out with both blades to disembowel the sleeping figures before they had the chance to awaken.

Only there was no blood, no screams of sudden pain; only two explosions of smoke and a faint hissing sound coming from above them. Looking up they found the ceiling of the bedroom had practically been wallpapered with exploding notes, several of which were now ignited and readying to blow.

"Shit!" shouted both Oto-nin as they made a break for the only window in the room, Iwana breaking through first with Yamame following seconds before the room was filled with a massive explosion.

As the two landed on the roof of the neighboring warehouse, a voice caught their attention. "So, any particular reason you two decided to pay us a visit tonight." questioned Naruto as he and Haku stood on the opposite end from the two masked shinobi, both dressed and ready for battle. Naruto had not just set up guards inside the warehouse, but had several monitoring the surrounding streets from the rooftops and alleyways. One had noticed the shadows approached and signaled the original, who'd already been up. Both he and Haku agreed that, given their encounter earlier, a single sleepless night was worth the risk. They could always catch up tomorrow on the Dragon after they left.

"Those who refuse the _Otokage's _(Sound Shadow's) offer are to be eliminated." started Iwana coldly as he reached behind him and readied his giant shuriken.

"_Otogakure_ (Hidden Sound) must remain a secret until the time is right." finished Yamame as she tightened her grip on her kama blades.

As one the two shinobi shot forward, aiming to eliminate their targets as quickly as possible. Yamame leapt at Naruto, her sickles lashing out in attempt to decapitate the blonde, while Iwana leapt at Haku, his shuriken spinning wildly as he lashed out at Haku's midsection.

The two shinobi leapt backwards, off the edge of the roof and dodging the incoming attacks. The two landed on the docks right below and outside the warehouses as their opponents moved to follow them. Naruto held his arms and activated two of the storage seals in his new bracers. In a small puff of smoke, a matched pair of black war fans appeared in his hands. Flipping them open revealed a pair of jade-green dragons emblazoned on the black cloth. Haku meanwhile drew out a set of senbon. The two shared a nod before moving in opposite directions onto the open waters, separating to give both of them room to fight freely.

_*** Naruto vs. Yamame ***_

Naruto met Yamame in a clash of steel, the reinforced and bladed ribs of his war fans meeting the blades of her kama in a flash of sparks before separating. Naruto vaguely noted that the cloth cut by the kama blades on both his fans reknitted itself almost instantly after they broke contact. _'A repair seal?'_ thought the blonde absently, before refocusing on the fight as his opponents lashed out again with her sickles. Naruto blocked one with his fans again, before pivoting out of the way of the other and lashing out with his second fan, Yamame, still off-balance from her attack, barely dodged it, receiving a shallow gash along her stomach instead of seeing her own intestines.

The two continued to exchange blows for several minutes, but it quickly became clear that Naruto had the edge in this fight. Realizing this Yamame leapt backward while channeling chakra into her kama blades. Seconds after landing she lashed out with both directly in front of her, the two crossing less than an inch over the other, while shouting, "**Fūton: Kamaitachi ****Akaei**! (Wind Release: Razor Wind Stingray) (1)," releasing two broad, sickle-like wind blades that instantly joined together, forming a broad, ray-like mass of cutting winds that flew directly toward Naruto.

Naruto himself brought both fans to bear and quickly swept both outward, one downward toward the left and one upward toward the right, calling out, "**Fūton: Tsuru Toppū**! (Wind Release: Crane Wind Gust) (2)." releasing a massive, spinning gust of wind from both fans.

The gust and wind-ray met midflight, the stronger winds of Naruto's attack deflecting the wind-ray enough that it flew by a charging Naruto, smashing into the front of one of the warehouses and leaving large, deep gouges in the wood and stone. As the winds continued to barreling forward, they slammed into Yamame, sending her hurtling backward. Yamame quickly regained her footing as she landed on the water, only to find Naruto directly in front of her, slashing forward with both fans, the bladed ribs now coated in a fine layer of wind chakra. Yamame quickly moved to block with her kama, only for the wind-enhanced fans to cut through the normal metal. Yamame eyes widened as her weapons fell broken to the ground. They stayed that way as the wind-enhanced blades continued their journey, leaving twin gashes across her throat and upper chest.

She fell into the water dead moments later, her dead body sinking due to the weight of her equipment.

_*** Haku vs. Iwana ***_

Haku lashed out, throwing all six of her senbon at the charging Iwana. The larger nin quickly deflected them with his giant shuriken while still charging her before lashing out with his weapon as he got into range. Haku dodged, leaping backwards and out of the way before moving forward again, drawing and lashing out with her new blade in the same instant, slashing at the Oto-nin's side. Iwana blocked the blow with his shuriken before leaping backward and trying to gain some distance. While useful, the giant shuriken was not designed for close-range combat. Only an extremely skilled user could match it against a sword or other weapon designed for melee combat in close-range, and Iwana's skills hadn't reached that level yet.

Instead, he retreated and tried to fight from a distance. A bad mistake, given Haku's own specialty was ranged combat. The young Hyōton-user quickly resheathed her blade before launching another barrage of senbon needles at the retreating shinobi. The larger nin blocked the first six, only to grunt in pain as three more stabbed into his right arm, courtesy of Haku's **Kage Senbon no Jutsu** (Shadow Senbon Technique) (3). Iwana scowled as he felt his arm slowly begin to grow numb, barely catching his shuriken in his left hand as it slipped through his slackening fingers to keep it from falling into the water and sinking. The Oto-nin quickly began flexing the muscles of his right arm and hand, hoping to keep it active for as long as possible.

"My senbon struck several pressure points along your right arm, soon it will be less than useless to you for several hours." stated Haku calmly as she stood opposite of her opponent.

"Bitch!" snarled Iwana as he regripped his shuriken in his left hand and threw it at her, before forming a single handseal, forcing his rapidly numbing arm and hand into position. "**Suiton: Shuriken Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu**! (Water Release: Shuriken Water Clone Technique) (4)," snarled the injured nin, causing a half-dozen other giant shuriken to form out of the surrounding water and start flying toward Haku as well.

Haku merely remained calm as her hands rapidly ghosted through a set of seals. "**Hyōton: Tsubame Fubuki**! (Ice Release: Swallow Snow Storm) (5)," called Haku, as the surrounding water quickly rose into the shape of over a dozen flying swallows that quickly froze into ice. The ice swallows flew directly toward the incoming shuriken. Each of the water clones were swiftly sliced through by the razor-wings of one of flying swallows, the original was deflected as the chakra-hardened ice of three swallows hit it as once, and the remaining swallows continued their flight, straight toward Iwana.

The Oto-nin tried to dodge, but the swallows swerved mid-flight, catching the shinobi in midair and engulfing him in storm of razor-edged wings. Iwana barely had time to scream as the blades fell onto him, slashing through his flesh. Moments later he fell into the water with a large splash as his body sunk to the bottom.

_**~~~ XXXXX ~~~**_

"That was surprisingly quick." stated Naruto cautiously as the two regrouped at the edge of the water.

Before Haku could respond, a dull clapping caused both shinobi to turn toward the rooftop of a nearby warehouse. There, sitting easily on the edge of the building's roof, was Kajika clapping his hands slowly as if enjoying a show.

"Bravo, bravo." complimented the hooded shinobi as he stared at the two with a shark-like grin. "You took care of those two quite easily."

"What the hell is the matter with you!?" growled Naruto as he stared at the nuke-nin. "They were your teammates and you're acting like their deaths was some kind of entertainment."

"Teammates?" questioned Kajika curiously. "They weren't my teammates, they were my subordinates; weaklings that lacked the potential to truly serve my Master. Their job was merely to test the merit of our potential recruits. Anyone who couldn't defeat them lacked the power needed to join Otogakure. Now I'll ask you once again, will you join us?"

"Not on your life." snarled Naruto as he fell into a stance. Haku merely gripped a new set of senbon in response.

"A pity." stated Kajika, a soft frown on his features, as he stood up. "You would have truly done well under Otokage-sama's command, your powers growing exponentially with his gifts. Now you will simply die." he finished as he launched himself forward.

_**CLIFFHANGER NO JUTSU**_

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**JUTSU IDENTIFICATION**

(1) **Fūton: Kamaitachi Akaei**(Wind Release: Razor Wind Stingray) – _C-ranked offensive Fūton technique_: The user of this jutsu channels wind chakra into the blades of two weapons before slashing both of them at the same time, one arcing directly over the other as they intercept at the midpoint. This releases two large wind blades that merge into a vaguely ray like mass consisting of two large wind blades acting as fins and the merged ends stretching backward acting as a tail. The combined strength of the wind blades gives this technique immense cutting power at the cost of some speed.

(2) **Fūton: Tsuru Toppū** (Wind Release: Crane Wind Gust) – _C-ranked defensive/supplementary Fūton technique_: A defensive wind technique that creates a large burst of strong, spiraling winds that can be used to deflect incoming attacks. The user either swings their weapons or arms outward in opposite directions while channeling wind chakra through them, enhancing the wind created. Can also be used supplementary to move objects or opponents by directing the wind gust towards them.

(3)**Kage Senbon no**** Jutsu** (Shadow Senbon Technique)** –** _D-ranked offensive shurikenjutsu_: A simple technique where two or more senbon are piled one onto each other and thrown simultaneously, causing one to be hidden in the shadow of another. While simplistic, it can be highly effective if used correctly.

(4) **Suiton: Shuriken Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu** (Water Release: Shuriken Water Clone Technique) – _C-ranked__offensive Suiton shurikenjutsu/ninjutsu/bunshin jutsu technique_: The user creates a number of water clones from one shuriken and the surrounding water to strike at an enemy. This is a lesser variation of the **Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique) that relies on existing nearby elements to create the clones, reducing the power of the newly created shuriken.

(5)**Hyōton:****Tsubame Fubuki** (Ice Release: Swallow Snow Storm) – _B-ranked offensive Hyōton ninjutsu_. This technique creates a cluster of ice needles in the shape of miniature swallows out of water or existing ice, which the user then directs at the opponent. These needles can change direction in midair and will maim the opponent with their sharp wings.

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_**

**END CHAPTER 10**

**Yes, I know I'm a bastard for leaving it at the start of another battle, but be patient, I promise the fight with Kajika will be well worth the wait.**

**Before anyone says anything about the fights between Iwana and Yamame being too quick, they were supposed to be quick. Both Oto-nin were only High Genin level in strength while Naruto and Haku are both _at least_ mid- to high-Chūnin in strength. They eliminated Naruto's clones using stealth and a surprise attack combined with the fragility of Shadow Clones, not through superior skill. Their fights were partly designed to show how strong the two had gotten since they first met in Wave, particularly after their difficult fight with the Yuki-nin. Believe me Kajika, who is at least jounin-level, will be an entirely different matter.**

**Oh, and I thought I should point something out, while the names and techniques of the styles Naruto practices in the fic are made up, the styles themselves are each inspired by an actual style of Chinese Martial Arts. For Example: Rabbit was inspired by Chuōjiǎo (Poking Foot). Crane was inspired by the Crane aspect of Ng Ga Kuen (Five Family/Animal Style). Snake was inspired by Shéquán (Snake Fist). Northern Mantis and Southern Mantis were inspired by Tánglángquán (Praying Mantis Fist) and Nampai Tángláng (Southern School Praying Mantis). Dog comes from Góuquán (Dog Boxing), and Leopard was inspired by the Leopard aspect of Wǔ Xíng (Five Forms).**

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